


Closed Doors

by LittleBubbleStyles



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bottom Harry, Cheating, Cheating is not between Louis and Harry, Drama, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Football Player Louis, Football | Soccer Player Louis Tomlinson, Friends With Benefits, Happy Ending, Harry really is a strong queen, Hate to Love, High School AU, Homophobic Language, Humor, It takes a minute for Louis to get his shit together, Love Confessions, M/M, Minor Bullying, Minor drug abuse, Rival Schools - Freeform, Top Louis Tomlinson, larry stylinson - Freeform, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-03-29 09:30:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 163,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19017160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleBubbleStyles/pseuds/LittleBubbleStyles
Summary: Everything changed when Harry had to transfer to North Bridge in his last year of school, suddenly being away from his boyfriend and his friends. Not only were friendships and relationships destroyed, but having to be in the presence of Louis Tomlinson every day didn't make it any easier, especially when Harry started to grow feelings he didn't intend on feeling.Or an AU where Harry and Louis' relationship was only real behind closed doors until it wasn't.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone. This is another story I uploaded to Wattpad first, and I wanted to bring it over here as well. If you prefer the app over this, then I have provided the link for the story. I hope you enjoy [Closed Doors](https://www.wattpad.com/story/93716717-%F0%9F%9A%A7under-construction%F0%9F%9A%A7-closed-doors-larry-stylinson=)
> 
> I'm not really sure what inspired me to write this story. I wish I could have a valid reasoning behind it, but I don't haha. However, this story is one of my favorites, despite how angsty it can be at times. I hope you like the story and continue to read more of my stories.

Summer only lasting just shy of 3 months was something Harry had envied, only because he got so used to the late summer nights. However, Harry had nothing against going to school. In all honesty, he loved going, but not for the learning aspect of it or having to wake up at seven every morning consistently. Rather, he preferred the fact that he got to see his friends every day and meet some new people on an occasion.

Anne used to call Harry a " _social butterfly_ " all the time because of this love he had for making friends and meeting new people. Harry used to find the word odd, especially whenever she would say it around his friends, but the matter is that the word does apply to him. Harry is very social. He loves to meet new people and share his kindness with everyone around him.

But, with the end of this current summer approaching, Harry for once was dreading the following school year. His next year is about to be totally different from his past three years, and he's about to go through one of the biggest changes he really isn't prepared for. Like transferring schools, and not only does transferring schools sucks, but it's the worst-case scenario where Harry is being transferred to his rival school.

Harry currently went to West Point, one of the top and most prestigious schools in West Manchester. Harry was top of his class at this school while maintaining high grades throughout his years. He had a reputation that he was proud of at West Point; a name he's built for himself. Harry was the smart curly-headed boy who's kindness is what brought him up the social ladder.

But sometimes, life throws curveballs.

It all happened because Anne had met Robin about three years ago. Anne had a neighbor down the road who's brother was Robin, and they ended up meeting at her backyard barbecue party. The two of them quickly fell in love, and then one thing lead to another. Anne and Robin had gotten married right at the start of the summer which meant households would be blending together.

And Harry would never seek his mother's happiness as an inconvenience, but the problem with everything is that Robin lived forty minutes North of where he currently lived. And it's not like Robin and Anne could live in separate houses forever. Harry knew the move was inevitable, but it was unfortunate that it happened to be farther away from the school he was at now.

Harry was not only moving from his school, where he built his life and his name, but he was moving from his friends. And the worst part for Harry to accept was the fact that he had to move from his boyfriend - Reid Anderson. Harry had tried countless times to beg his mother to let him finish his final year at West Point, but nothing was convincing enough for Anne to let him do so.

It was reckless, and Harry was only seventeen.

But, Harry concluded that moving schools wasn't exactly what was causing Harry's frustration, it was the fact that he had to move to his rival school of all places. And like any typical high school, they had a rival sport. Theirs so happened to be football, which was the sport that all of Harry's friends play for.

West Point and North Bridge were the biggest football rivals all across Manchester's schools. So with Harry's luck, North Bridge _would_ be the place that he had to transfer to. Not only did transferring to North Bridge cause a major inconvenience for Harry, but everyone at North Bridge pretty much knows Harry. And that school only really knew Harry was because of his relationship with West Point's football team - those were his friends. So he also had a name at his own rival school.

The rivalry between the schools ran deep, though. North Bridge had beaten West Point in the final championship cup consistently every year up until the past season. It took five years, but finally, West Point had broken North Bridge's streak and won the Championship Cup. So the tension between both football programs was stronger, and the argument over which team was the best still continued on to this day.

But life is all about adjustment and change, so Harry could only feed positive thoughts as he prepared for the move. He could either let this move make him pity himself, or he could thrive from the chaos that was about to be brought upon him. Harry still didn't know which one he was aiming for, but he was going to at least attempt to make his final year of school somewhat memorable.

It was the final days of summer before school did start back up. Anne and Robin had already cleared out Anne's old house and moved everything into Robin's. Harry decided to stay behind to finish up his summer days by hanging out with his friends and his boyfriend. So on Harry's last summer night, before making the forty-minute drive up North, he met up with his group of friends

They all get together at Reid's house, Harry's boyfriend. Their group ends up sitting around a fire pit to drink or smoke, laughing into the summer night and enjoying their last few days of freedom before school takes over their life. But on this summer night, Harry used it as a way to reflect back on his life at West Point.

Mainly, Harry was reflecting on his relationship with Reid.

Harry thought Reid was once the epitome of a perfect boyfriend. He could remember exactly the day he first caught sight of Reid in the hallway. It was the first week of his second year at West Point when he noticed Reid gazing down at him from the other end of hallway. His golden, brown eyes are what got Harry at first, especially since those said eyes were looking at him as if Reid was mentally undressing him.

Reid was everyone's dream boy. It was no hidden secret that half the school wanted to fuck him. It's what came with being the captain of the football team and being one of the most popular boy's in school.

Reid was beautiful, or at least, Harry used to think he was was the most attractive before they ever really started to date. Reid's structure was decent enough thanks to football, but sometimes Harry felt like he over romanticized Reid before getting to know him. Because well, Reid had relatively nice biceps. Thick thighs from all the running he did in football. Firm ass, not the biggest one Harry had seen, but it would do. He was kind of pale, close to Harry's color but maybe slightly darker. Harry would prefer someone with a little bit more color, but Reid's skin color went with his shaggy blonde hair so Harry had grown to accept it.

Anyways, at the end of the summer Reid would typically invited both his and Harry's friends to their get together. Their friends consisted of a few football members and about hald of the cheerleaders at West Point. Will, Brad, Alex, and Roy were the first string starters along with Reid, so Reid always hung around them the most. The cheerleaders, however, were more of Harry's crowd; Nadine, Cara, Kendall, and Gigi.

As cliche as it sounded, it went with the jock and cheerleader stereotype. Harry had fallen under the cheerleader tag the most since he always stood in the stands.

But, Harry liked their group of friends and how well they mingled together. Their group combined happened to be considered the _popular_ ones at school. Harry never really cared for that term, but he knew they were. He knew their group of friends could sometimes be too harsh or too judgy, but Harry liked being around them.

They always had a good time together, especially when it came to the annual fire pit at the end of summer.

The group decided to drink beer around the fire and cook up some smores as their final hoorah. Will and Brad were busying themselves by kicking a football around off to the side. Harry was snuggled up against Reid with Reid's arm slung over his shoulder. Harry hummed softly as he rested his head on Reid's shoulder, smiling as he watched Reid bug Kendall and Alex over their incisive flirting.

Cara and Gigi were sitting on the other side of Kendall and Alex, giggling every time Kendall and Alex would get flustered over any accusation Reid would come up with. Soon enough, Cara and Gigi joined in on the teasing, making the conversation even more awkward by bringing in sexual remarks that made Kendall shy away.

Roy and Nadine had gotten up shortly when the bucket of beer was running low. Harry smiled as he watched the two of them get up, really enjoying his final moments with his friends. He let out a sigh as he looked back over to Kendall and Alex, biting his smile back when Cara ended up pushing Alex off his chair.

"Hey," Reid nudged Harry, grabbing his attention. "What's on your mind?"

Harry bit his lip as Reid pulled him closer to his body. He shifted his head to where his chin was resting on Reid's shoulder so he could look at Reid's face. "Just happy," Harry sighed, smiling softly.

The conversation was stopped when Roy and Nadine had returned each with a full bucket of beer. They sat back down on the other side of Reid and began passing out some bottles around. That caused Will and Brad to stop messing around with the football and join in on sitting around the fire pit.

"So Haz, you ready for the new school?" Cara asked after she popped open her beer, finally leaving Alex and Kendall alone. Harry blinked over at her and gave her a snarky smile, causing her to let out a little laugh. Harry loved her the most.

"That school sucks ass," Gigi piped up, rolling her eyes bitterly as she took a long sip of her beer.

"Please, don't remind me that I have to go," Harry laughed. He picked up a marshmallow from the bag on the floor and tossed it over at Cara, smiling when she flicked it off her thigh. "Of all the fucking schools in Manchester, I have to go to North Bridge."

"Well," Will then spoke up. He reached over to ruffle Harry's hair before he was grabbing another bottle for himself. "Don't let those pompous bitches change you, Harry. They think they're the shit, and I can guarantee you, they're not."

"I know," Harry grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes again as he felt Reid squeeze his shoulder. Harry sighed in response and crossed his arms over his chest, resting them on top of his knees. "It's just such a big change for me. Leaving you guys. Going to a school that I've hated for so long. S' weird."

"Well, don't forget about us you twat," Cara shot back, raising her glass in the air until Harry did so as well. They pointed their bottles in the same direction before the two of them took a sip at the same time, causing Harry to giggle into his drink.

"Enough of this boring crap," Nadine then snapped. Harry looked over her way and grumbled underneath his breath. Out of all the cheerleaders, Nadine is probably his least favorite. Given that she is snobby and a bitch, sometimes sleeps with too many guys, her and Harry were never the closest in the group.

"I've got something to lift the mood," she then smiled, pulling out a baggy from her pocket.

"We don't get drug tested until the season," Roy bit his lip, snatching the bag from Nadine's hand and pulling out some joints. They soon started passing them around the circle, each taking a drag when the joint was in their position. Harry's eyes followed each of them with a long sigh, watching as the end of the joint lit up before smoke was being blown between different pair of lips.

Harry may love to hang with his group of friends and party with them, but something he didn't like was that they do drugs. As much as he tried to ignore the fact that he had pot-smoking and cocaine-snorting friends, he seemed to never avoid catching them in the act. It was one of the things that bothered him the most, especially when Reid was the one condoning it most of the time.

When the blunt made its way towards Reid, Harry immediately reached over to grab it. Harry pushed Nadine's hand away from Reid and frowned whenever Reid turned towards Harry with a scowl. And Harry already knew an argument was in the brewing the minute he prevented Reid from smoking, it's happened countless of times. Harry hated the way Reid acted whenever he was on drugs, most of the time him being reckless, especially towards Harry.

"I don't like it when you smoke," Harry stated the obvious, trying to keep quiet but Nadine heard him and rolled her eyes. She passed the blunt on to the next recipient as Harry focused on Reid, noticing his eyes hardening in annoyance.

"Harry, it's weed," Reid argued, "It doesn't do anything to you."

Nadine took another hit and tried to give Reid the blunt back whenever he reached for it again, but Harry let out an even louder groan before pushing her hand away. "No. He doesn't need it," Harry whined, looking between Nadine and Reid until Nadine finally got the point and finished the rest of the blunt.

"Aw, come on," Will whined from across where Harry and Reid sat. "Haz, It's your last night here," he argued with a point, already lighting up the next blunt Nadine had in the baggy.

"Yeah, Haz," was soon following around the circle, besides from Cara, causing Harry to blush in embarrassment. Harry looked at each one of them and noticed all of them looking at Harry expectedly. He then looked over at Cara to get some sort of support from her, but even she shrugged her shoulders and looked away. Harry huffed.

"You can't keep telling me what to do," Reid then added, raising his eyebrows when Harry frowned at him.

And _ouch,_ Harry thought, feeling a jab go straight to his chest. Did Reid really need to have this argument in front of all their friends? What a typical way for Reid to ruin the night. He always got in some sort of argument with Harry then would make the group go awkwardly silent. The worst is that most of the time the argument was over Reid doing drugs.

" _Uh_ oh," Gigi teased _,_ chewing on her bottom lip, "Looks like they're problems with the power couple," she giggled under her breath as she turned towards Brad, seeking a reaction out of him.

_The power couple_ , Harry thought with a bitter scoff, replaying that word over and over again in his head. That was something everyone at their school called Harry and Reid, assuming they had such a strong and powerful relationship. It was such a dumb word Harry never cared for either, but it was something he constantly heard.

It's true though, Harry thought to himself, but sometimes the power couple isn't always happy and loving. Actually, it hadn't been that way since about six months into their relationship if Harry could remember correctly. They go through problems that any normal couple goes through, or that is what Harry tries to convince himself. Just sometimes they fight more than they actually love, and then they put on the perfect couple persona for school.

Almost 2 years together and it seems like nothing really gets better.

"How about this?" Reid interrupted Harry's thoughts, giving him a bitter smirk before he was reaching over to snatch the blunt from Brad's hand. Harry widened his eyes horrifically as Reid held the blunt in between his fingers, then he turned to shove the head of it straight between Harry's lips.

"Wha-" Harry whined but having stopped when his mouth was intruded with the smoke.

"Just take a hit. Stop bitching.," Reid snapped.

Reid held the blunt up against Harry's mouth until he finally breathed in the smoke. Harry coughed the instant the smoke went through his windpipe and infected his lungs. He pulled back immediately and tried to blow some air out before Reid was pushing the blunt back in between Harry's lips again.

"Damn," Blake laughed, trying to hide it behind a cough as he took a sip of his beer, "No goodbye sex tonight, then."

"Bullshit," Reid smirked. He pulled the blunt back from Harry's lips and handed it over to anyone who grabbed it from him. He then gripped the back of Harry's neck and pulled him forward harshly. "I'm definitely getting that goodbye," he then mumbled against Harry's lips, wrapping his mouth around Harry's and breathing in the smoke as they kissed.

Everyone ended up staying in Reid's backyard for a couple more hours. They finished out the fridge of beer and ate all the smores they could. New rounds of smoke were being passed around until the bag was completely empty of drugs. At least Reid didn't try to start any more arguments by doing drugs. He stopped at the blunt he shoved in Harry's mouth and left it at that, rather, he drank more beer than the others so he could at least be drunk instead of high.

The minute the last person had finally left and it was just Harry and Reid alone, Harry smirked before he was shifting his body to straddle Reid's lap. Reid bit back a smile right away as his hands ran down Harry's back until he had a good grip on his ass. He then yanked Harry forward with his harsh grip, making sure he and Harry were pressed completely together.

"M' gonna miss you," Harry pouted, cupping the side of Reid's face carefully. He leaned down and pressed his lips against Reids, savoring the way he could taste every drop of alcohol on the tip of Reid's tongue.

"Stay away from the football player's, okay?" Reid then warned after he pulled back from the kiss. He moved his hands from Harry's ass and opted to wrap them around his waist, sneaking his hands underneath his shirt and pressing his palm on Harry's skin.

"Why?" Harry questioned, not entirely understanding Reid's request. He knew Reid wasn't the best of friends with North Bridge's football team, but maybe there was more to the rivalry than Harry had suspected.

"Because they are assholes. Fucking dicks who can't keep their mouth shut," he bellowed out, lowering his voice and mumbling, "Fucking Tomlinson. Stupid prick."

"Don't worry. M' with you," Harry reminded, smiling as he rolled his hips in Reid's lap to get the attention back on him. "You know I am going to hate it there. My heart belongs here."

Reid twisted his lips to the side and shrugged his shoulders. Harry giggled and leaned down again to press his lips back against Reid's, humming softly when their mouths made contact.

"Besides," Harry then pulled back with a laugh, "What's the worse that can happen? It's just North Bridge."

 

\\\\\

 

Harry groaned when he felt the first vibration of his phone rattle the bed, but then that vibration turned into a loud ringing sound signaling the wake of his sleep. Harry opened his eyes slowly before he was rolling on to his back with another dramatic groan escaping him. He blinked up at the ceiling and began wiping his eyes in hopes to rub the sleep from his face.

He then patted around the bed until he found his phone charging right next to his pillow. He quickly turned the alarm off and held his mobile right above his face. The brightness of his screen blinded him for a brief moment, but when he darkened it a little, he was finally able to see the new messages he had pop up on the screen.

None of the messages notified they were from Reid, which Harry wasn't too thrilled about. The messages were from Cara, Kendall, and Gigi, and it seemed to be that those are the only three that had remained in contact with Harry since he had moved. Not even Reid remained in contact. He'd barely talk to Harry since their last night together, and that really wasn't settling well with Harry.

In fact, Harry and Reid's anniversary was coming up. This coming weekend was their two years together, and the fact that Reid and Harry haven't talked much in the past week really hasn't set a good celebrating mood for Harry. So instead, Harry decided to text Reid in hopes that maybe he could spark a conversation with his own boyfriend.

_Good morning! I miss you already. Have a good first day of school. Lots of love. xxx_

Harry sighed as he impatiently waited for Reid to reply or to see the three dots in the bottom left corner, but nothing ever appeared. Harry grumbled as he tossed his phone to the side to finally roll himself off the bed. He headed to the washroom first to clean himself in the shower, always feeling refreshed taking ones in the morning. Once Harry finished, he wrapped a towel around his waist and walked up to the mirror above his sink.

He looked at his reflection for a few seconds before he reached for hair cream to fluff up his hair. He ruffled his fingers through his hair to get the perfect amount of messy and curly before brushing his teeth and heading out into his room. He walked over to the closet and dropped his towel on the ground as he started looking for clothes to wear on his first day.

Unlike West Point, North Bridge doesn't have an enforced uniform to wear. Which, this does allow Harry to be unique with what he wants to wear instead of having to wear the same cargo pants and a polo shirt every day. So, there was a plus to this new school, having avoided the prestigious uniforms.

So Harry grabbed a pair of briefs and his skin-tight black skinny jeans. He paired it with a button-up blue flannel and his tan, suede boots. When he was fully dressed and relatively looked like he didn't hate his life, he trudged down the stairs to fill his stomach with a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee.

After he finished his breakfast and kissed his mother goodbye, he headed out to his car to make his way towards the school. It was only about a five-minute drive until he was pulling in to his assigned parking spot, right at the front of the school where he could see everyone walking in and out the two front doors. He sat in the car for a few minutes while admiring the students walking around to reunite with their friends, all having something to look forward to.

Whereas, Harry only dreaded what was to come.

It took a while before Harry was finally getting out of his car. He headed towards the front door and made his way down the hallway until he saw the front office come to view. He remembered an email from the administrative telling him that on his first day he needed to meet with the receptionist to grab his times table for the school year. Since Harry had missed orientation, he needed a little more guidance in figuring out where he was to go.

"May I help you?" The lady at the front desk questioned, a warm smile on her face as she greeted Harry. Her name was Lily, or that's what her name tag read. She had a welcoming expression on her face and looked as if she enjoyed working the desk, which was a huge difference to the front lady at West Point.

"Hello. I'm new here. Harry Styles," he introduced, "I missed orientation so I'm here for my schedule."

The lady nodded her head as if she was expecting Harry. She began typing on her keyboard before she was rolling her chair to the filing cabinet behind her. She opened the bottom drawer and searched through the files until she found the one she was looking for. She grabbed the folder and then rolled back to the desk, standing up as she placed it on top for Harry to look as well.

"So these are your classes on the left and the professors are on the right. You have second lunch at around noon, and up here is your locker information," she explained.

"Thank you," Harry smiled. He packed all the papers together and pulled it together in the file. The only one he kept out was his schedule of where his classes were, knowing that he would need it to navigate through these hallways.

"No problem." She sat back down on her chair and looked around Harry as if she was expecting someone else to be showing up. She looked disappointed as she blinked back over to Harry, twirling a pen between her frail fingers. "We should be having a TA to come by and help you out today. He seems to be late though."

"That is okay," Harry reassured.

"Go ahead and get to your locker and first class. M' sure he will find you."

"Thank you, Lily." Harry left with a smile as he walked out of the front office. He pulled his schedule up to read where his locker was. The first sign he noticed hanging from the ceiling was that he needed to make a right down the upcoming hallway to head towards the upperclassmen section of the school. At least he got that much help.

When he turned down the hallway he was supposed to, he knew that he was close to where his assigned locker was. He read each number until he was seventeen down from the first one. He pulled the paper up to his face again and read carefully what his combination was. He could hear some people snickering behind him, not really expecting it to be directed towards him. He ignored them easily and started to enter his dial into his locker.

Harry settled his backpack inside his locker and pulled out some folders for the first few classes he had. When Harry finally closed the door and turned around to head to the first class, he immediately noticed a good portion of North Bridge's football team was huddled behind him. And that was when Harry realized those were the people who were laughing at him.

Shocker.

"Harry Styles!" the man at the front of the group smirked, and Harry knew that face from anywhere. He knew from the countless of times Reid and the football players would talk about him and the rest of North Bridge's team.

"Stanley Lucas," Harry huffed out with a roll to his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the locker. "What a pleasure," he said sarcastically.

"Where's your boy toy then?" Another member of the team called. From what Harry could remember, his name was Calvin, one of the most annoying twats that Harry has ever met. "Didn't know you could go anywhere without him by your side."

"What's it to you?" Harry snarled back, hardening his glare in Calvin's direction. Harry wouldn't expect less from Calvin or his annoying comments towards Reid and Harry. It's his specialty.

"Oh, come on lads," Stan teased, smirking over at Calvin, "It's Harry's first day. Let's make him feel welcome."

Harry blew air out his lips and bitterly laughed. He shook his head as he pushed himself off the lockers, rolling his eyes, "I prefer if you did not."

"Wow!" Another one of them scoffed. Harry cocked his head in their direction and noticed it was Oli, a homophobic asshole that made Harry's blood boil in anger. "He's got a big mouth on him. You really are West Point's personal cock sucker, huh?"

Harry's stomach churned at the weak accusation, but hearing the jab at his sexuality didn't make him feel any better. Harry wasn't used to being talked like that, let alone being implied that he was a slut. He never knew the football team here thought he was someone West Point's team passed around. If anything, Harry has only been with one person, and that was Reid.

Suddenly another player appeared in the football crowd, squeezing his way through the back. Harry couldn't get a good view of him since the majority of the team was blocking his view. But then that player spoke up, sending a sharp shiver down Harry's spine once he realized who it was that joined the party. It was the one person who actually did make Harry nervous. Always a name that was uttered as a mumble or under a breath, never actually seeing him in the flesh until _now_.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" That person growled, pushing his way through the final frontman of the crowd until he was standing face to face with Harry.

And there he was, Louis Tomlinson.

Captain of the North Bridge football team. One of the best strikers to ever lay foot in Manchester. He was a known enemy to Reid Anderson, which went all the way back to when they were just ten-year-olds making their first debut on the same club football team. They both were the strikers of the team, fighting for the same amount of awards.

But damn, Harry thought breathlessly, he never knew how fucking hot Louis was until now.

Harry had to shake himself out of his daze before he started admiring too much of Louis. Louis might be hot and have gorgeous blue eyes, but Reid would kill Harry if he ever found out Harry was ogling over his enemy. But well, Harry couldn't help it. He truly was a hormonal teenager, and despite how much of a dick head Louis seemed to be, Harry couldn't deny how sexy he was.

No matter how much sexiness did radiate from Louis, he was also one of the most intimidating persons Harry had ever met or heard of. Louis may be shorter than Harry, and possibly Reid, but Louis always knew how to stand his ground. He was like a firecracker, the minute anyone set him off he would easily explode and take down anyone in his way.

Harry remembered exactly two years ago when he heard about Reid and Louis fighting in a McDonald's parking lot, and the fight didn't end too well for Reid. Louis completely beat Reid's ass, and to this day, no one knew exactly what caused the fight.

"Wow," Louis breathed out with a little chuckle. He looked Harry up and down with a raised eyebrow, seemingly not impressed with the person standing in front of him. "Look who we have here. Reid's slut," Louis smirked.

Harry tilted his head to the side when he noticed the guys around Louis started to snicker behind their hands. Harry frowned some more at another accusation and homophobic slur being tossed his way. He didn't understand where all these people came up with that Harry was just a plaything. He was actually in a relationship with Reid.

It wasn't that much of a secret. Was it?

"Shut up, Tomlinson," Came Harry's weak reply.

Louis twisted his lips to the side and began nodding his head as if he was thinking of his next move. His lips then started to curve up into a smile, a devilish looking one as his cerulean blue eyes snapped over towards Harry's. Louis took a step closer until he was able to push Harry up against the locker, jabbing his faint finger against Harry's chest.

"Welcome to North Bridge," Louis grumbled lowly. "You're gonna learn to keep that pretty little mouth of yours shut around here."

Louis jabbed Harry's chest once more and left with a shove to his shoulders. He tilted his head to the side to signal the rest of his crew to follow him out, and then it was just Harry leaning up against the locker heaving in breaths. Harry didn't realize he was even holding in his breath at all until he was left alone to grasp for some air. Louis really did make him that nervous, and it seemed apparent that Louis knew he had that effect on Harry already.

There's a reason why Harry was getting treated the way he was right now. He knew the football team wouldn't let him walk into their school with ease. North Bridge and West Point were rivals, which makes Harry and Louis rivals as well.

It just doesn't make it any easier that Harry transferred from West Point, who's football team had just beaten North Bridge the season prior. There were grudges being held, and North Bridge was wanting blood for this season coming up. Harry walked himself right into the crossfire when he stepped foot on campus, and now he had to face what these people were about to bring him.

Harry gathered himself off the lockers wiped his forehead free of sweat. He tucked his folders underneath his arm and began walking down the hallway, looking between the room numbers and the time's table for his first class. Harry turned down one hallway that would his class was actually down on when he suddenly bumped into another person, causing Harry's heartbeat to race and his folders to fall out his hold.

"M' so sorry. My bad," Harry muttered out nervously. He let out a huff as he crouched down to begin picking his folders up with the help of the other person crouching down as well.

Harry felt odd that he had become suddenly so nervous and anxious from bumping into another person. He never felt like he had to watch himself around people or be careful with what he did. At his old school, he could do whatever he wanted, but here, it was different. He felt like he was now on edge. He felt like he needed to be careful because he honestly had no idea how far these football players were willing to go with him.

"It's no problem, mate," the voice replied calmly.

The two of them stood up at the same time, and Harry was finally able to see who it was he ran in to. The stranger had a smile on his face, a blue polo, and tan cargos. He had a lanyard around his neck that stated he was a TA, so Harry had an idea that he would be pretty helpful in guiding him around the school. Harry smiled when the TA handed him over a few notebooks that he picked up.

"Nick Grimshaw," the guy introduced, offering his hand for Harry to shake, "You must be new here?"

"Yeah, I'm new," Harry blushed, pushing his fringe out of his eyes and holding his books close to his chest, "Harry styles," he then greeted in return, noticing Nick's hand out for him so he quickly freed himself so he could properly shake his hand.

"Oh," Nick widen his eyes, "Hey, I'm your TA. I'm supposed to help you around," he then informed Harry. He had an even bigger smile on his face once he realized he was the one to help Harry, making Harry raise his eyebrow curiously. "Let me see your schedule."

Harry handed Nick his times table and began following him down the hallway. He realized that Nick was already leading the way to his first class, which happened to be in the music section of the school.

"You have Mr. Reeds for music class," Nick stated as he continued down the hallways. "You got a pretty good schedule with some great teachers."

"That's great," Harry sighed nonchalantly. He didn't realize that as he was walking, he was curiously looking around to make sure that he was staying clear of any football players - especially Louis. He hated that he walked these hallways feeling on edge, not wanting to rile any of them up. When they turned the corner and Harry made it without crashing into anyone, he let out a big breath of relief.

"Any advice to give me?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders, "The best advice is to get yourself involved. Especially going to the games," he then admitted, causing Harry to roll his eyes because even he could guess as much. "The games are the most fun, especially with the fan base we have. It gets you out there and makes you more social."

"Figured so much as football games," Harry rolled his eyes. He gave Nick a weak smile when Nick stopped walking to see what Harry's change in tone came from. "I came from West Point," he then explained.

Nick made a sour face at the remark, and Harry ended up playfully hitting his shoulder."Damn," Nick grumbled, shaking his head with a smile as he looked over at Harry to see him twisting his lips to the side.

"Actually, my boy...friend is the captain for West Point," Harry stuttered over his words, worriedly blinking up at Nick to see any hint of disgust. Harry didn't see anything, so he slowly continued. "So I know the importance of football, honestly. Reid is like peace, love, football."

Harry didn't understand why he was hesitant to admit that Reid was his boyfriend. He knew it wasn't a secret he kept hidden. Everyone at West Point at least knew they were together. He expected everyone here as well would know that, too. However, everyone seemed to assume Harry was some slut for West Point's football team. They made it seem like Harry being gay was something horrible, and Harry wasn't so sure what to do with that information.

Nick simply raised his eyebrows, turning to give Harry a curious look. "You're gay?" he questioned in a calm voice, seemingly curious in knowing rather than looking bothered.

" _Uh_ \- no?" Harry scrunched his forehead up, confused by his own answer. He noticed the look on Nick's face and started laughing because even Nick knew that his answer wasn't exactly what he expected. "Okay, well yes _and_ no. I've kind of had a girlfriend before and I don't mind girls, but yeah I have a boyfriend," he admitted, following up with, "The football players here think I'm their team's slut. I don't even know where that came from, honestly."

"Oh, I see," Nick nodded his head. He motioned for the two of them to continue walking down the hallway. Harry smiled as he followed alongside him, noticing there was this look in Nick's eye that he didn't quite understand. They made it to the end of the hallway shortly and stopped in front of a brown door that Harry was assuming his first class. "Well, this is your music class with Mr. Reeds."

"Thank you."

"Here, take my number in case you need anything else," Nick then suggested. He handed his phone over to Harry as Harry did the same to him. They each put their numbers in before Harry was parting his way.

Harry opened the door to the classroom and made his way inside. The room was rather small for a music class. At the front, there was a piano and a giant whiteboard mounted on the wall behind the piano. There was a stage set out in front of the piano with three different levels, and each level had a row of chairs for the students to sit in. On the other side of the room, there were a bunch of instruments stacked up against the wall.

Harry realized he was kind of late to class when he looked up and noticed half the class was watching him. Harry flushed right away and quickly scurried his way up the levels until he was on the top of the stage. He took one of the last two open seats by the aisle and sat himself down. The teacher looked up at Harry and gave him an understanding smile before he was proceeding to the board to write his name in big, bold letters.

"Good morning class. I am Mr. Reeds, and today I'll be going over procedures I expect from you guys," Mr. Reeds turned back around and was reaching for a paper he had on top of his piano. Just as he was about to continue with explaining the class, the door opened up and Louis was walking in, "How nice of you to join us, Mr. Tomlinson."

With a smug look on his perfect and stupid face, Louis looked up and made immediate eye contact with Harry. His lips then curled into a smirk as he eyeballed the open seat next to Harry, already making his way towards him. "Ever heard the saying that a king is never late, everyone is simply early?"

"Just take a seat," Mr. Reeds grumbled, hearing the class around starting to snicker at Louis' remark.

Louis jumped up the last few steps to make his way on the top of the stage. He slumped his body in the aisle seat next to Harry and gave him a wink when Harry turned to give him a scowl. Harry rolled his eyes, trying to give Louis a passive look, but his body tensed up the closer Louis got to him. Harry didn't even understand why he felt nervous being in Louis' presence, but he did, and he didn't like that.

"Fancy seeing you here, lover boy," Louis whispered close to Harry's ear. He placed his hand on Harry's back and gave him a few rough pats before Harry was shoving him off with a huff.

"Get off of me," Harry grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Louis laughed underneath his breath and leaned back in his chair. Harry rolled his eyes and tried his best to listen to Mr. Reeds as he began discussing the procedures for the class, but he could feel Louis' eyes piercing a hole to the side of his face.

Harry was growing antsy the longer he felt Louis look on him, and Harry had a feeling that Louis noticed the twitch that was starting to happen in the corner of his eye because Louis' smile started to grow even more.

"What?" Harry then gritted under his breath, turning to look at Louis finally, hardening his glare.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Louis teased, pressing a hand to his chest, "Am I doing something wrong?"

"You won't stop staring at me."

"Yeah, and I'm not so sure what I'm looking at."

"Mr. Tomlinson, Mr. Styles," Mr. Reeds then called out, causing all the students around the two to turn around to look at them. Harry flushed right away and tried to sink himself further in his seat, while Louis looked more amused than ever. "Do we have a problem here?"

Harry was about to quickly comment no, not wanting to draw any attention towards him on the first day, but Louis had other plans. "Yeah, actually," Louis replied with a smirk, turning to give Harry a look, "I was trying to pay attention to you, but Harry won't stop flirting with me." Harry let out a loud groan when more people started to laugh. Harry hid his face behind his hands when he felt Louis patting his back again. "Sorry, but I am not interested."

"Shut up," Harry snapped, shrugging Louis off his arm and dropping his hands to his thighs.

"If you two are done?" Mr. Reeds crossed his arms over his chest, clearly unamused with Louis. When Louis nodded his head and slumped back in his seat, Mr. Reeds continued on with his lecture. "So, the main work we will be doing here is writing lyrics. We will be turning in a partner project of writing a poem, a major grade of writing a full song, and at the end of the year, your final assignment will be a performance. Any questions?"

A kid on the other side of Harry, his hair a mixture of blonde and brown raised his hand. "What are the requirements for the performance?" he asked, and Harry noticed the strong Irish accent that came with his voice.

"Good question, Mr. Horan," Mr. Reeds replied, a smile on his face, "The group will require a minimum of four and a maximum of six. Each member of the group needs to play a role in the performance. Whether it be singing a solo part or in the chorus. Using an instrument. Everyone needs to be included, and the song must be original."

Louis raised his hand, causing Mr. Reed to groan as he looked expectedly at him. "Do we have to do this?" came Louis' dumbass question.

A guy on the other side of the Irish lad leaned forward to look at Louis. His golden, brown eyes harden as he looked at Louis as if he asked the dumbest question. "Yes you, idiot," was his response, causing Mr. Reeds to let out a loud groan.

"Watch it, Malik," Louis pointed over at him, clearly teasing him.

Mr. Reeds had rolled his eyes and went back to the whiteboard as he began writing the topics over the poems. After an hour of them being in the class, the bell rang for them to continue on. Harry quickly picked his books up and rushed out of the room trying to avoid Louis and any other football players that wanted to cause problems with him.

Although, no matter how hard Harry tried to avoid the football players, he realized he had some classes with them. It sucked, considering Harry wasn't trying to be on the radar his first day, but the players seemed to want to cause a ruckus with Harry and get him noticed by the teacher and the rest of his class. He tried everything he could to remain low and stay out of their way, but Harry seemed to be a hot topic amongst the football team.

Come lunchtime, Harry truly realized how lonely he was when he walked into the cafeteria with no friends to sit with. He held his tray of food in his hands and slowly walked along the far perimeter of the room trying to find a spot for him to sit, but it seemed like everything was taken with friends sitting with friends.

Harry had never felt like such an outcast before in his life. He never once felt so alone to where he actually considered eating his lunch in the restroom. He always had people to surround himself with, but since coming here, he already felt like he was at the bottom of the food chain. He constantly had eyes on him, and not just from the football. Everyone in the school was watching him with curious eyes as if he was some foreign object.

Harry was continuing to walk when he suddenly noticed Stan, Calvin, and Oli walking up toward him. They all had smirks on their faces the closer they got to Harry. Harry stopped walking and rolled his eyes when they got in front of him.

"Where's your leader?" he snapped.

"I don't think you want him," Oli teased, then raising his eyebrows and stepping a little closer to Harry. "But you got a thing for captain's dick, so maybe you do?" he then accused with a bitter laugh.

"I don't want any of you guys here," Harry shot back, popping his hip to the side, "Yet, here you all are. Unwanted more than ever."

"You really need to learn how to keep that mouth of yours shut!" Stan called out loudly. His little outburst caused the people around them to turn their heads towards the four of them. Harry's face flushed in embarrassment when he realized the attention was on him, and he was clearly outnumbered with Stan, Calvin, and Oli standing tall up against him.

"You know, when your mouth isn't too busy being wrapped around a dick, you sure as hell make no other proper use of it," Calvin followed up, making him and Stan both laugh, even the people around them started to as well.

"Stop fucking saying that," Harry then yelled, finally letting his anger take over him, "I'm not Reid's cock sucker, or the team's for that matter. Stop making these lame-ass homophobic slurs, its offensive. Some people are gay, and nothing is wrong with it," Harry then tilted his head to the side, stepping closer to the both of them with a glint to his eyes, "Unless you're doing it to hide the fact that your gay yourself?"

They suddenly stopped laughing. Stan stepped forward amongst them and got in Harry's personal space. He pressed his hands up against Harry's chest and pushed him back. "And that offends you?" Stan asked, "Faggot," he followed up.

Harry felt a sudden drop in his stomach when that word was spat in his face. He had never been called a _faggot_ or had any rude slurs be tossed his way. He's never had anyone talk to him like this nor treat him like this, and he didn't really know how to handle it. He was trying to keep his front, but part of him wanted to break down and cry for how miserable his day has already been.

"I think you need to grow up," Harry muttered back weakly, swallowing down the lump he felt starting to grow in his throat, "I'm done with all you twats."

Harry tried to walk past the group to eat his lunch in peace, but the three guys completely blocked him off from going past them. Harry let out a huff and was about to make a comment, but then Stan placed his hand underneath Harry's lunch tray and slapped it up. All of Harry's food then flew up and landed all over his clothes, making Harry step back and look down at himself with a horrified expression. Harry dropped the tray on the ground and blinked slowly, breathing heavily as he started to pick the noodles off his shirt.

Harry swiped the food off his clothes until it was just a stain of spaghetti sauce on his flannel. He looked around the lot of them and noticed the silence coursing through the cafeteria and the number of eyes staring straight at him. Oli and Calvin started laughing while Stan brought his phone up to take a picture of Harry's frazzled state.

Once they seemed done with Harry, the three of them turned around to head back to their table. Harry watched as they made their way to a table surrounded by more football players, causing Harry to flush even more when he noticed all of them laughing at him. Then he made eye contact Louis, who was standing up in his spot and carefully watching Harry as if he was worried or something. A look Harry was not familiar with.

Harry refused to cry as he turned away. He tried to keep his head held high as he stumbled his way out the cafeteria without any further commotion towards him. The minute he found his way in the hallway, he let his feet take over his body, and he started running as far away from the cafeteria as he could.

Harry ended up outside.

He saw the football pitch right outside some exit doors and decided to make his way over there. Harry walked up to the bleachers and slumped himself down on the first row of the benches, not having the energy to go up any higher. He leaned his back up against the fence as he propped his feet on the bench in front of him, and then he finally let the first tear roll down his cheek.

Now that he was alone, he didn't mind crying.

After having his mental breakdown during lunch, Harry finished out the rest of his day surprisingly with ease. He didn't come in to contact with any more football players or participate in any incidents that could lead to him being embarrassed. When his last class had finished, Harry went straight for his car to drive back home.

By the time Harry and his parents had dinner together, Harry clearly trying to avoid the dreaded conversation about how his first day went, he hid himself up in his bedroom for the rest of the night. He plopped down on his mattress and pulled his phone out to see if there were any new messages. Instead, his phone was empty.

Harry let out a huff as he dialed Reid's number, highly annoyed and frustrated over the fact his boyfriend has yet to contact him at all today. Especially knowing Harry made his debut at a new school.

"Hello?" Reid questioned through the line, sounding annoyed.

Harry cocked his head to the side and huffed, pulling his phone away for a second to double-check that it _was_ Reid who he was talking to. "Hello to you, too," Harry sassed back, "Why have you been ignoring me?"

Harry heard shuffling going around on the other side of the line and maybe a strange voice, but Harry didn't think much of it. "I've been busy, Harry," Was what Reid said, drowning out the background noise that Harry seemed to be noticing a lot more now. "Any reasoned you called?" Reid then questioned.

Harry blinked when he felt tears in his eyes, not expecting that kind of reaction from Reid. He rolled over to his side and pulled his pillow to his chest, clutching on to it to give him some sort of ground. "Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't realize talking to my boyfriend is such a bother," Harry snapped, "I thought maybe you'd want to know how my day went. Excuse me."

Reid let out a sigh and muttered something under his breath before speaking louder through the line, "Okay, Harry. How was your day?"

Harry rolled his eyes in the lack of enthusiasm in Reid, but he still went on and vented about his day. He could tell Reid wasn't paying attention or didn't seem to be interested at all, but he did make an effort like he was listening. He made noncommittal sounds when needed and asked vague questions to further Harry's rant, but in the midst of their talk, Harry heard a female voice echo through the line.

Harry sat up right away and pressed his phone closer to his ear. "Who's there?" Harry asked, feeling something strange stir in his stomach, making him feel slightly nauseous.

"Oh _uh-_ my mum," Reid brushed aside, sounding like he was getting up from where he was sitting. "Look I have to go. See ya," Reid finished without waiting for an answer. He hung up right away and left Harry there with his phone pressed to his ear and a confused look on his face.

In the end, Harry laid back down on his bed and began crying to himself. He cried over the fact that he had such a horrible first day. That he had his clothes soiled from his lunch being thrown on him. And he especially cried over the fact that Reid didn't seem to care at all that Harry was obviously having a mental breakdown.

Basically, it was going to be one long year for Harry if this charade continued on.

.

 

///

 

Another dreadful day, Harry thought to himself as he pulled into the parking spot. He turned his car off the minute he was parked and sat in his the car for a few moments, looking out the front window. Harry spent the next few minutes watching the students enter through the front doors of the school, much like he did the day prior before he felt good enough to exit his car.

Just as Harry was ready to head into school, he heard his phone buzzing with a notification. Harry breathed out through his nose as he picked his phone up to see who it was, frowning when he saw that the message was from Reid. 

**Reid <333: ** _Is this is you? xD_

Harry frowned when he noticed there was picture following the message Reid had sent, which wasn't as amusing as Reid made it seem like. It was actually the picture Stan had taken of him the day before - when Harry got his spaghetti tossed on his clothes.

Harry zoomed in on his own face in the picture and noticed how upset he looked - completely mortified and embarrassed. His clothes soaked in spaghetti sauce and covered in noodles. Harry let out a huff as began typing out his message, sending back -  _Haven't talked to me in days, and this is what you send me?_

Of course, Reid didn't reply, which was still confusing to Harry.

Harry didn't understand the point in Reid sending him the picture if he wasn't going to actually start a conversation following. Harry also didn't see what was so funny at your boyfriend being humiliated in front of the whole school. If anything, it should have made Reid mad that North Bridge's football team was harassing Harry.

This message not only confused Harry, but made him a little bit angry. Reid had not contacted Harry in days - nearly weeks - and the one time Reid finally managed to talk to him was simply to make fun of him. Classy. 

Harry sat in his car seat for another few minutes and let himself clear his by watching the students again. However, Harry's interest peaked when he noticed Louis coming into his view and was approaching the bottom of the front entrance steps. Louis leaned his body up against the concrete block and pulled his glasses over his eyes. 

Shortly after Louis waited for a few seconds, a tall girl was walking up to meet him. Her long brunette hair was tied back in a high pony. She was clad in all black attire with black combat boots to match. Harry's eyes narrowed as he watched the way Louis reached out to grab her before he was pulling her in close to his body. Then their lips met in a heated kiss, completely ignoring everyone around them and forgoing any lack of privacy.

Harry felt disgusted and had to look away.  

Harry finally gained enough courage when he noticed time was getting closer to first class. He hopped out of the car and started to make his way towards the front entrance, doing his best to go unnoticed by Louis. Louis did seem rather busy groping and sucking face with that skinny girl, so Harry figured he could make it by without being noticed. Harry even went as far as ducking behind people and hiding with the crowd of students, but luck never seemed to be on his side if these past weeks are anything to go by.

"Styles," Louis called out in his annoying, cocky tone. Harry groaned as he rolled his head to the side to make eye contact with the bastard, noticing that he had a smirk on his face and his arm still wrapped around the girl.

"What do you want?" Harry questioned curtly, not really in the mood for any games. It was still pretty early in the morning, and Harry only had so much patience before noon.

"Have you met Eleanor?" Louis then introduced, continuing to smile as he gestured to the girl that was hanging off his arm.

Eleanor actually had the decency to look Harry up and down as if she was judging his appearance. Harry must have failed something because her nose scrunched up in disgust, and she grimaced at his attire.

Which, well. Harry was wearing skinny jeans and a band t-shirt. Can't really go wrong with that. 

"Great," Harry sighed in faux happiness, clapping his hands together just to get a reaction out of Louis. Louis laughed under his breath, a bitter one that showed Harry he was amused but didn't have much interest. "You have a loyal slut. Good for you."

Harry was ready to turn and leave them at that, noticing Louis didn't even flinch, but then his arm was being grabbed. Harry had been forcefully turned back around with the firm grip on his arm to re-face Louis and Eleanor.

"That's a lot of lip coming from you," Eleanor snapped, stepping in to Harry's face. "Faggot." 

Now, Louis flinched at that.

His once calm, amused expression turned rather cold, flicking his eyes towards Eleanor and narrowing them at her figure. His demeanor changed, with the way his jaw tightened and his hand balling up in a fist by his side. Harry noticed it more than he wanted to, but he could tell what Eleanor said made him angry. 

He made no comment, however, and Harry turned back to Eleanor with a testing look.  "Well, there's nothing to convince me otherwise."

That's when Harry decided to leave, not bothering to turn back around to see any of their reactions. He had better things to do like avoid the football team or actually try to enjoy his classes.

Once Harry finally reached his locker though, with a big breath of air escaping his lungs, he pulled his phone out to send a quick message to Cara. He had to update her with what just happened. Harry knew Cara's feud with Eleanor had been going on just about as long as Reid and Louis'. Plus, Harry missed talking to Cara.

_Met the famous Eleanor,_ is what he sent her.

Harry smiled as he already saw the bubbles showing up on the bottom left corner of the screen. He knew if there was anyone he could talk to just to get some sort of response, Cara was his best bet.

Harry knew how much Cara loathed Eleanor, and it was a string of stories for the reason behind it. Most of it was a back and forth mess between the two girls, having started when they were on the same cheer squad. Now, Harry believed it ran much deeper than that. If he could remember correctly, it had something to do with a boy.

Cara's response came **,** _She's a fucking bitch,_ was what she sent.

Harry snorted at her response because well, yeah Eleanor seemed pretty bitchy when they met.

Then she sent a follow up of, _She's the one who my ex cheated on me with. Fucking skank!_

Harry raised his eyebrows at the revelation. It's no wonder Cara and Eleanor don't get along.

Harry pocked his phone once finished with his conversation with Cara and turned towards his locker. He put his dial in and opened the locker door so he could switch out his bag for a couple of folders.  Once Harry got the items he needed to last him until lunch, he closed the door and began heading towards his first class.

He got a few steps in when he saw Nick walking down the hall, a warm smile on his face as came to join Harry. "How was your first day?" He asked right away, noticing the fine line Harry had just set his lips in. Nick then sighed as he placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder blade, giving him a few pity pats. "Heard about what happened at lunch," he confessed, almost like he was ashamed.

"I expected to get some backlash coming here," Harry admitted because it was true. He knew coming from a rival school wouldn't make him the most popular here. What he didn't expect was what Stan was doing to him, and the lack of people to actually make an effort to talk to Harry was something he wasn't completely expecting.

"But wasn't expecting to get my lunch tossed on me. That was rather embarrassing."

Nick let out a noncommittal hum as he moved his hand from Harry's shoulder blade to wrap around his neck. Harry tensed a little as he was being pulled against Nick's side, a little too close for comfort between people who had just met about 24 hours prior. 

"Sorry, mate," Nick apologized sincerely, continuing to lead Harry down the hallway. "The football team can be real jackasses. I've had my fair share of issues with them."

Harry raised his eyebrows and quickly turned his head to face Nick, suddenly very intrigued. "Issues, with who?"

Nick bit his lip for a second and looked around the hallway. He took a minute to really consider telling Harry, but when he blinked over at the latter, Harry raised his eyebrows expectedly. Nick sighed defeatedly, "Louis Tomlinson," he grumbled under his breath as if he didn't want anyone to know at all. 

"Really?" Harry gasped, "What happened?"

"He's a tease," Nick said short, trying to avoid any further explanation, but clearly Harry wasn't having none of that.

"How so?" Harry pressed. 

The two of them made it to the door of the music class, but Harry wasn't done with the conversation. He pulled Nick over to the row of lockers next to the classroom door and rested the side of his body up against one. He looked back up at Nick and tilted his head to the side, waiting for Nick to continue his story.

"I'm not sure how to say this, but he messed around with me last year," Nick finally admitted. Harry widen his eyes, least of all expecting to know that Louis was playing with some boy. It came to a slight surprise just knowing the kind of people Louis liked to surround himself with. "When rumors about him being gay started going around, he ended up finding some girl to date. Once at a party, he purposely got caught having sex with her so everyone would forget those rumors."

Harry gaped for a moment, fish mouthing for some words to say but he couldn't really think much. This was some quick and new information Harry was least expecting, and now he totally saw Louis as a completely different person after hearing this.

"He's gay?" Harry asked dumbfounded, blinking up at Nick curiously, "And you two had a thing?"

Nick shrugged in response, "I guess. It was my first year being a teacher's assistant, openly gay as well," Nick explained, "We actually met at a bar. Did some stuff together. When he found out I was a TA for this school, that's when his hetero came back. But if I had to decide, Louis is pretty fucking gay."

"Interesting," Harry mumbled, nibbling on his nail as he stared off past Nick.

He noticed the hallway was starting to clear up from students, which meant the first class was about to start. Harry could see some of his classmates walking into the music door they were standing by, so he figured he should head to class, too. He really didn't want to be late to class two days in a row.

"Well, I better take off to class. Thanks for the talk."

"No problem, babe. See ya around," Nick smiled as he pulled Harry into a farewell hug.

If Nick noticed Harry tensed up again at the sudden contact, then he made no indication of knowing. But, Harry drew back from the hug as quickly as he could while giving Nick a tight smile. He then quickly brushed past Nick to get in the classroom because he didn't think he could handle any more form of contact from him.

Harry was all for affection and pet names when the relationship was right for it, but considering him and Nick had just met the day before, both the pet names and the contact was making him uncomfortable. Harry had a feeling Nick fancied him, that much was already obvious, but Nick also knew that Harry had a boyfriend. So Harry didn't really know what Nick was getting at.

At least Nick was friendly enough.

When Harry walked into music class, he headed up the levels of the stage to take a spot in the same seat as the day before. He sat down in the chair second to the aisle and set his stuff down on the floor by his feet. He pulled his phone out in the meantime until class was actually ready to start, busying himself with the game, but he suddenly felt eyes on the side of his head that was making him go antsy.

Which, those eyes happened to be from the person he was sitting next to.

"Hiya," The guy next to Harry greeted once Harry finally turned to see who it, a questioning look on his. Harry noticed the lad had an Irish voice, and from what he could remember the day before, the teacher had addressed this kid as Horan.

"Don't be a creep, Niall," someone on the other side of Horan - well, Niall, Harry presumed - had called out. Harry leaned his head forward to catch a glimpse, and he noticed it was the kid Louis was bickering with the day before. Malik, from what he could remember.

"M', not Zayn," Niall huffed childishly, turning to glare at Zayn. "Just trying to make a little conversation," Niall then reasoned, noticing that Zayn was rolling his eyes. Niall then turned back to Harry and gave him a big smile, making Harry widen his eyes in caution at the sudden change in his expression. "You're new here," Niall pointed out.

"Good observation," Harry said slowly, trying to force himself to smile, but clearly hesitant. He didn't know what affiliation Niall had with the football team or if he even condoned himself to that level of bastards, but Harry had a right to be a little standoffish when it came to meeting people there.

"I'm Niall Horan," Niall then greeted, much friendlier than what Harry had experience. Harry finally felt his lips curving up as Niall gave his hand to shake, grasping Harry's in his own and shaking it rather quick. It made Harry giggle and ease up, knowing Niall was a bubbly enough character to make even Harry relax some.

"Next to me is Zayn Malik, and on the other side of him is Liam Payne," Niall added, pointing to the two men sitting beside him.

Harry leaned forward some to take a look at the two boys mentioned. He smiled at the both of them and realized Liam had his arm hung loosely around Zayn's chair, rather comfortable in each other's presence. So, that was comforting as well. Two boys not afraid of affection towards each other in a school setting. Maybe Harry could play nice with them.

"Hello," Harry waved, biting his lip when he realized how dumb that was and quickly shoved his hands in his lap. "I'm Harry Styles."

"Hey, you're the one from West Point then?" Liam asked, not sounding at all hateful. Instead, he sounded rather amused, and his big, brown eyes were looking at Harry in a soft manner that showed Harry he didn't really mean much harm by the accusation.

"Unfortunately," Harry pouted. 

"Well, welcome here I suppose. It probably sucks a lot for you," Zayn added with a smile, reaching across Niall to squeeze Harry's arm. Harry smiled in return and felt a flush of relief enter his system. It only took a day, but he had managed to find three people to talk to who actually gave Harry the time of day to be relatively friendly.

"There's a back to school bash at my house on Friday," Zayn continued once he removed his hand from Harry's arm. "I have one every year so it's kind of tradition. You're welcomed to come if you'd like."

Harry loved that he was invited to his first social function, as lame as it sounded. Normally. he would be the one inviting people and advertising for his own parties, but after the horrid first day he had, it was rather calming to know that he was liked enough to be invited to a party. 

However, Harry knew he couldn't make the party, but he did like that he was thought of. It was actually his and Reid's anniversary on Friday, and the two had planned a while back for Harry to go visit Reid since his parents would be out of town. Harry had been looking forward to their anniversary for the past couple of weeks, especially now considering their relationship had been iffy since he moved.

"Sounds cool. Yeah, I'll see if I can go," Harry offered instead of declining.

Their conversation ended when the hour bell rang. Harry turned back to sit properly in his chair right about the same time Louis was pushing through the door that Mr. Reeds was trying to close. Louis looked like a disheveled mess as he made his way inside the classroom, obviously busying himself with getting handsy with someone rather than getting to class on time. 

Mr. Reeds stepped away from the door and crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his foot impatiently as Louis slowly made his way to the stage.

"What? I'm not late," Louis argued, foot resting on the first level of the stage as he turned back to look at Mr. Reeds' scowl.

"You're supposed to arrive before the bell," Mr. Reeds reminded. "You're lucky late tallies don't start until next week."

Louis rolled his eyes but turned to walk up the levels. Harry watched as Louis made his way over towards him again, internally cussing because the last thing Harry wanted to do was spend the next hour sitting next to Louis. But, Louis seemed to have other plans. Instead of sitting in the aisle seat, like he did yesterday, he simply stood there staring down at Harry as if he was supposed to do something.

"What?" Harry growled under his breath when Louis wasn't making any indication of what his problem was.

"Move," he demanded.

"No, I got here first," Harry snapped in return.

It may have been childish what his next move was, but he crossed his arms over his chest and sat up properly in his seat. He turned to the front of the room and stared at what Mr. Reeds was explaining, hoping to prove to Louis that he wasn't getting up at all. There was a perfectly good aisle seat right next to Harry that Louis could sit in.

Louis let out a rather large huff and stepped aside when Harry didn't move. Harry smirked in triumph, thinking he had won some sort of argument, but he wasn't prepared for what was about to happen.

Instead of Louis simply sitting down in the aisle seat like Harry thought he would, Louis ended up walking behind the row of chairs until he was standing right behind Harry's. Louis then crouched down so he could grip the legs of the chair Harry was sitting on, and then he tilted the chair up so Harry was forced to fall forward. 

Harry managed to prevent himself from rolling down the levels of the stage, but he did crash into the person sitting on the row in front of him. He landed on his knees and slammed his hands on the ground to prevent himself from completely falling over the top of the person, but the loud ruckus made everyone in the room turn towards him. 

Harry flushed in embarrassment the minute all eyes were on him, as he stupidly remained on the floor. He then turned his head to glare at Louis, possibly even yell at him, but he saw that Louis was sitting down in the aisle seat as nothing happened. Harry groaned as he sat back on his thighs, rubbing his hands down his pants before he was slow to pull himself up to stand.

"What the hell?" Niall questioned under his breath as he stood up to help Harry in his seat. He helped fixed Harry's chair and guided him to sit, staring at him as if he had two heads. Okay so, apparently no one saw Louis blatantly push Harry out of his chair. Cool.

"What happened, Harry?" Mr. Reeds asked at the front of the room, arms crossed over his chest as his unamused look stared straight at Harry

Harry huffed as he fixed his hair out of his eyes. He noticed Liam and Zayn were leaning forward and looking at him as well, confusion written clearly across their faces. Harry then turned to look at Louis, seeing if he was about to fess up or not. Obviously, he wasn't. He was simply smirking and staring straight ahead like he was proud the attention wasn't on him at the moment. However, Harry noticed something in Louis look, it could have been the twitch in Louis' eye that gave it away, but Harry did see regret.

"I slipped," Harry tried, realizing how pathetic he sounded and flinching at his own words.

Mr. Reeds rolled his eyes and went back to the board, "No more of this nonsense, Harry. That's two days in a row you disrupted my class."

Harry sighed as everyone went back to focusing on the teacher. He no longer had the curious glances coming from Niall, Liam, and Zayn as they seemed more interested in the topic being presented by Mr. Reeds. It was a good enough time for Harry to lean some over to Louis and give him an ice-cold glare, having to dig his fingers into his palm so he didn't do anything stupid like punch Louis.

"You fucking push me out of my seat and still didn't take it?"

Louis licked his lips and turned his face towards Harry's. When he realized how close they were, he smirked and pressed a hand against Harry's cheek to push him away. "I don't want a slippery chair," he responded, a dangerous sparkle in his eye as he turned back towards the teacher.

The hour then dragged on slowly as Harry sat in his chair listening to the lecture, doing his best to ignore Louis' presence, but the minute the bell rang to signify class was over, Harry was one of the first people to hop up from his seat and scurry out the room. He made it a few steps out the door when he felt a sharp pain in his knee, causing him to slow down for a second.

His hands then started to throb and feel as if they were on fire, and when he turned his palms over to take a look at his hands, he noticed they were red and slightly scratched up. So, great. He bruised himself from falling out of the chair. Surely, he also had bruises on his knees, too, considering when he bent down to touch them, he winced right away.

By the time Harry reached his anatomy class, his third lecture of the day, everyone had apparently heard about what happened to him in music spread around. Which, great, Harry thought to himself.

Jokes about him being clumsy and unable to walk were surfacing all around the school, and this seemed to be some sort of influencer for the football team. Because whenever Harry would walk down the hallway towards his class, any football player that was around would immediately trip him to see if he would fall.

Harry never actually face plant like anticipated, he just stumbled on his feet and went a couple of steps until he regained his balance. The last thing he wanted to do was fall on his knees again, knowing the bruise and the pain would only grow. But, the worst trip was with Stan, literally right before he walked into Anatomy.

Stan had Oli and Calvin with him when it happened, and Louis was approaching the lot of them by the time the incident occurred. Nick was walking Harry to his anatomy class when Stan came up behind Harry and pushed his back. Harry immediately stumbled over his feet and was ready to fall, but Nick reached out right away and pulled him back to his chest. The laughter that was starting stopped right away as Nick turned around to glare at Stan. 

Some hateful words and maybe some threats were thrown at one another, but what Harry noticed the most was Louis. He stood at the other end of the hallway staring at Harry, his eyes hardening as they flicked over towards Nick. Harry didn't really understand what it meant or what Louis had to be angry for, but whatever it was, Harry ignored it as he left the scene to walk into his class.

Harry made his way to one of the lab tables in the back corner, ready to sit by himself again when a blonde girl made her way to sit across from him. Harry blew air out his lips as he looked up to see who it was, not entirely sure he could put a name to her face.

"Sorry about the day you've been having," she apologized sincerely, reaching across the table to grab Harry's hand. "Football team can be a real jerk at times."

Harry shrugged his shoulders, but he couldn't help laughing under his breath. "Not your fault."

She tilted her head to the side as she removed her hand to pull her purse from the ground. "No, but they are my friends," she reasoned. Harry watched as she put her purse on the table as if she was making no intention of moving. She made herself comfortable in her seat and leaned forward on the table. "I'm Taylor," she then greeted with a smile.

"Harry," he sighed in return, crossing his arms on the table. "But you probably know that."

"Obviously," She teased, finally eliciting a smile from Harry. "I'm actually a cheerleader so that's why I say the football jerks are my friends. I promise we are not all twats like them."

Harry nodded his head and left it at that as the teacher approached her desk. Taylor curved her lips up in a smile and turned so her body could see their professor. Harry, on the other hand, pulled his phone out of his pocket and decided to text Cara instead.

_Taylor?_ He questioned her, considering Cara seemed to know everything about the cheerleaders and football players here. 

_I actually think her and Gigi are friends. So maybe she isn't sooooooo bad. (: -_ was her response. Then she added -  _but don't you go replacing me Styles. I'll beat your ass._

Harry giggled under his breath as he typed out **-**   _I could never (;_

Harry pocketed his phone and focused back at the teacher once she began dicussing the day's lecture. So if Cara or Gigi had nothing bad to say about Taylor, well then maybe she wasn't a bad person to be aquatinted with. She could be the fourth person Harry had made a friend on his second day of school, and that was a lot more than Harry had expected to gain.

 "So there's a party this Friday," was the first thing Taylor said as the two of them walked out the class together. "Care to join?"

"Zayn asked me earlier. I'm thinking about it," Harry informed, keeping the minor detail out that it is his anniversary.

He doesn't know why he won't simply admit that's the reason he couldn't go to the party, but part of him wanted to keep that section of his life away from the negatives that this school brought. Just from the backlash he'd been receiving the past few days, he didn't want anything worse to happen from everyone knowing he was actually in a relationship with Reid.

Harry ended up walking Taylor to her next class, not realizing he was doing so. He got a couple of harsh glares from Stan as they were walking, not entirely sure what was so wrong with what he was doing. But he dropped Taylor off at her English class before he went to his own. He had just one more before his lunch hour, and he figured he could survive that much until his peace. 

Harry was smart enough today to actually pack a lunch and avoid the cafeteria as a whole. He really didn't want to go through being embarrassed in front of all those students again. He remembered finding the bleachers right outside one of the school hallways, so he decided to go there like he did the day before after his class ended.

That way, Harry could eat his lunch in peace and avoid any conflicts with the football team.  

Harry walked up to the steps to the bleachers and made his way to the very top. He sat on the ground to the top row and decided to put all his lunch materials on the bench above the row he was sitting on. He opened his bag of crisps and began chomping on them when he suddenly saw two people walking over on the ground level. Harry set his bag down on the bench and scooted over so he wouldn't be seen.

Harry slowly got up and sat down on the top bench to look in between the holes of the fence. He could see that it was Louis and Zayn who were walking towards the bleacher stadium. Instead of walking up the steps as Harry feared, they made their way underneath the bleachers and pulled out a packet of cigarettes to smoke.

"Light it for me," Harry heard Louis mumble, barely seeing a white cigarette sticking out between his lips. 

Harry rolled his eyes as he realized all the two of them were doing was smoking. So he went back to sitting on the ground, moving as quietly as possible because he still didn't want to get caught and continued on eating. He decided to save the crisps for when they leave considering it made a loud crunchy sound, so he grabbed his sandwich and decided to eat that until the two of them left the area.

"Hey, so I invited Harry to the party," Zayn spoke after a few moments of silence dragged on.

Harry's head perked up in interest right away at the mention of his name. He scurried over to the side railing and looked down in between the holes in the fence to catch a side glimpse of Louis and Zayn. He liked that Zayn was at least speaking of him from a likable standpoint, but seeing the sour look on Louis' face showed he clearly had an opposite reaction towards Harry.

"Why?" Louis asked.

Zayn shrugged as he threw his bud on the ground to step on it, "Why not?'" he retaliated with, pulling his phone out of his pocket when there was a buzz. "Hey I gotta go, Liam is calling me."

"Booty call. Is his dick calling your ass again?" Louis then smirked, blinking over at Zayn and blowing smoke in his face. 

"It's a lot more than what you're getting," Zayn teased back, giving Louis a wink before he was running towards the doors to the schools.

Harry widen his eye right away when he noticed the fond and amused look at Louis' face. Of all things, he wasn't expecting that. Just from what he's seen the past few days and the way Louis' friends had been treating Harry, he never expected Louis to be friends with two guys who are dating - let alone be okay with it too. 

Harry ended up letting out a gasp much louder than he intended, and his foot fell to the ground making a loud bang. He knew he was heard the minute Louis looked up at the bleachers, and he cursed himself when he noticed Louis turning to walk up the steps. 

Fuck, Harry thought. 


	2. Chapter 2

Harry swallowed as he noticed Louis taking his step up the bleachers. Barely even a foot in, and Harry was already blinded by the way the sun was basking in a warm glow off Louis' tan skin. It made his blue eyes shine brighter, almost in a shimmering kind of way from the sun's reflection. Another step in, and there was a small breeze blowing by, causing Louis' hair to fall across his face.

Harry gulped while watching Louis push his hair back. 

"Why are you out here for lunch?" Louis asked genuinely once he was close enough to Harry's body.

Harry's cheeks suddenly flushed looking down at his food and his lonesome self, now fully realizing how much of a loser he looked. Louis didn't bother to wait for an answer and went ahead to take a seat in the open spot next to Harry. Harry blinked over at him and stared at his face for just a few seconds, trying to read something across Louis' expression, but there was nothing other than curiosity.

"Not really welcomed in the cafeteria, am I?" Harry muttered breathlessly.

Harry twisted his lips after and turned forward. He opted to look at the football pitch out in front of him instead of letting his eyes wander over Louis' features. He realized he had been doing that a lot lately, and Harry really needed some distraction to prevent him from admiring Louis under the afternoon sun.

"Oh," Louis mumbled defeated. Harry was surpised to hear the drop in his tone and the sudden shift in his features. Even when Harry's eyes glnced briedly back at Louis, he could see Louis' forehead lined in a crease and his teeth nibbling on his bottom lip. 

"I'm sorry," Louis added a bit louder, pushing his hair out of his face again, "I didn't know they were going to do that honestly."

Harry's frowned deepened as he continued to watch Louis, not really sure if he liked the apology or not. He could see the guilt and regret washing across Louis' expression as if he truly meant what he said, but Harry wasn't so sure if that was something he really wanted to hear. Given the circumstances of the past few days, he didn'tknow if accepting this apology was even worth it. 

"Did you happen to know that you were going to completely push me out the chair this morning?" Harry scowled, the same time Louis turned his head to look at him.

Louis blinked a couple of times before weakly smiling, "I misjudged that," he reasoned with pathetically.

Harry scoffed at how absurded the answer was, but he also found himself laughing at the confused expression on Louis' face because even he seemed like he didn't understand his own words. "What?" Harry snorted.

"I was expecting you to maybe trip and regain your balance by standing up, but-" Louis paused, a little laugh as he shook his head, biting his bottom lip when felt his lips starting to curve into a smile. It made Harry's stomach swoon and cheeks heat in a blush, which, odd, Harry thought to himself. "I wasn't expecting you to be so clumsy and actually fall."

Harry rolled his eyes and quickly turned his head the opposite way, feeling another smile threatening his lips to curve up. Harry hated that Louis was making him smile and laugh, but worst of all, he hated how Louis was making his stomach flutter so much. This was probably the first actual conversation Harry has had with Louis since they first met, and for once it was a rather nice one, but it was making him feel all these weird things he wasn't entirely used to. Harry could see that Louis really wasn't the dick he liked to make himself out to be. Harry could tolerate this Louis.

"M' sorry! I'm clumsy and wasn't expecting that," Harry finally commented after a few seconds, however, his smile then dissappeared and his frown returned. Just continuing to think about the rest of the day that followed their incident easily put another damper on his mood. "Plus, you should know by now how clumsy I am considering you've been watching your football team trip me all day," Harry added bitterly.

The smile Harry once wore was now turned into a frown. His eyebrows were furrowed together in distate, and he found himself getting annoyed again. As nice as this conversation was, Harry was then reminded that his horrible two days were because of the person sitting next to him. Harry couldn't find himself smiling at Louis and letting his stomach do these weird things knowing Louis was the person orchestrating all these terrible things to Harry.

"Look, I never told them-" Louis tried desperately, turning to face Harry and wanting to reach out and touch him, but Harry could see the hesitance in doing so. Rightfully so though. Harry wasn't sure what he would do if Louis actually touched him sincerely.

"Might've not told them to, but you are not really stopping them."

They held their gaze with one another for a few seconds before the end of the hour bell rang. Harry was the first to blink away with a frustrated sigh escaping. He picked up all his leftover lunch and stuffed them into his bag in a hasty motion to get out of there. 

Except, Louis was hot on his trail the minute Harry stepped off the bleachers. Louis reached for Harry's arm and forced him to turn around once they were on the ground, forcing Harry to face him. "Hey," Louis called out, removing his hand from Harry once he realized he was holding on rather tightly. Harry watched him carefully as Louis went to scratch the back of his head instead. Harry then raised his eyebrow, waiting for Louis to finish what he wanted to say.

"Are you - _uh_ \- going to Zayn's party?"

Harry cocked his head at the sudden change in topic. "I don't know," Harry replied coldly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm busy."

Louis tilted his head to the side, casting his eyes down to his shoes while shoving his hands in his pockets. "With Reid?" He asked under his breath, nibbling on his bottom lip. When he blinked back up at Harry, he could physically see Harry worrying himself. It was like Harry was expecting Louis to say something rude or hurt him in some way. Kind of like what the football team had been doing, and Louis could read that much on his face.

"Relax. I know he's your boyfriend."

Harry blinked again, "Wh-what? I thought you didnt-?"

" _Must know thy enemy well_ ," Louis recited with a grin. He walked past Harry and opened the back doors for the two of them to re-enter the school. "The team doesn't care or keep up as much with Reid, so they don't actually know the two of you are dating. I'm not entirely sure what they think. They hate Reid because I hate him, and they know that you've hung around the football team at West Point for awhile."

"They think I'm the team's personal slut," Harry snarled back, giving a look to Louis before he was walking through the doors with a huff.

He heard Louis laughing under his breath as he followed behind Harry. Harry frowned at the reaction and scrunched his eyebrows up when Louis caught up to walk right next to him. "Nah, they are just messing with you," Louis admitted, "They know it bothers you when they say stuff like that, and it's their go-to harassment. Calling people out for either being a slut or gay. Just don't let it show that it bothers you, and then they won't say anything further about it."

Louis had paused right before the hallway broke into the main corridor of the school. Harry stopped as well so he could turn to face Louis, and at this point, he actually allowed himself to admire Louis for the second. Harry's mind was filled with so much controversy at the moment, mostly debating on whether or not Louis was a good person.

Sure, Louis and his friends have harassed Harry for two straight days, but at the same time, Louis was also being gentle and nice with him whenever they were alone. Louis apologized, and he explained his friend's harassment methods. He also gave Harry the advice to ignore the homophobic slurs being thrown at him in hopes it would actually shut people up.

What was worse and the most confusing was how Harry made Louis smile, like genuinely smile, and how Louis did the same for Harry. Harry didn't know if he should be bothered by this or endeared, but either way, he was confused as hell.

Their little moment was ruined when Nick walked by and noticed them standing there. He twisted his lips to the side as he turned down their hallway to quickly make himself comfortable next to Harry, getting rather too close again and making Harry tense up.

He even went as far as wrapping his arm around Harry's shoulder, like he was trying to prove some sort of point at Louis. Harry looked over and noticed Nick had a hard glare in Louis' direction, but Louis' eyes were burning a straight hole to where Nick had his arm touching Harry. Odd.

"What's going on here?" Nick asked sternly.

Harry continued to watch Louis carefully, curious to know why he looked so mad with Nick standing next to him. His hatred and anger only seemed to grow when Nick pulled Harry closer to his side, seeing Louis' eyes twitch before he calmed himself down to look back at Nick.

"I'm clearly beating the shit out of him," Louis sassed back.

Harry didn't mean to laugh, but a loud one came out, and he quickly covered his mouth in embarrassment. Nick turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow, whereas, Louis was smiling at Harry's reaction. Harry removed his hands from his mouth pathetically and ended up chewing on his bottom lip, trying to ignore the fact that his stomach fluttered again at seeing Louis' small smile.

"What do you think we're doing?" Louis then asked, clearly annoyed. "We were having a friendly chat."

Nick scoffed, "Nothing with you is friendly."

"You know, it's a thing to talk to some people and have it not lead to anything further," Louis shot back, making Harry feel slightly uncomfortable at Louis and Nick's argument. "Maybe you should learn that not everything friendly has to involve sex."

Louis ended the conversation by brushing past Nick, purposefully bumping his shoulder and turning out the hallway. Nick scoffed as he removed his arm from Harry so he could watch as Louis disappeared into the main corridor of the school. Once he was fully gone, Nick turned back to Harry and shook his head.

"He's such a fucking dick," Nick grumbled.

"We really did have a friendly chat," Harry admitted, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "It was weird, but kind of nice."

Nick frowned as he watched Harry walk past him to leave as well. Nick didn't seem to appreciate Harry's input about Louis, but well - Harry wasn't lying. For once, Harry and Louis' interaction wasn't based on hatred of any sorts, and they were able to talk without causing that much of a problem.

After Harry left Nick standing in the hallway, he headed towards his locker to switch out his books for the second part of the day. Unfortunately, though, Harry's mind kept wandering back to Louis on his walk over. He simply couldn't focus on anything else at the moment when all he kept thinking about was Louis' smile - how Louis' smile was directed at Harry and was there because of Harry - how Louis' eyes crinkled by the sides because his cheekbones rose up from his smile.

Even Louis' laugh. It was like a constant reply in Harry's head that made his stomach swoop and fill with butterflies. Harry didn't understand why he was thinking about it so much. Maybe it was because he really did see another side of Louis when they sat out there on the bleachers, and Harry's attractiveness for the boy came back when he realized Louis could be a nice person. It sucked, but it was there.

Once Harry reached his locker, he opened the door to switch out his stuff. Just as he was about to pull away and close the door behind him, someone else had a better idea of doing so themselves. The door to his locker slammed shut, almost catching Harry's fingers in the process. Harry pulled back immediately and turned around to see who did it, tensing up when he noticed it was Stan.

Harry sighed as he was about to move past Stan clearly trying to avoid any altercations, but Stan placed his hands on top of Harry's books and slapped them out of his hands. Harry gasped when his papers and folders fell to the ground, completely spreading out everywhere and making a mess.

"What was that for?" Harry whined, blinking down at the ground before back to Stan.

Stan didn't answer.

Instead, Stan pressed his hands against Harry's shoulders and pushed him harshly until Harry's back collided with the lockers. Harry yelped at the solid impact, feeling a dull pain shoot its way down his spine. Then his knees started to buckle at the shock, throbbing consistently and causing a sharp pain to surface in his kneecaps.

"Leave her the fuck alone," Stan then spat in Harry's face, giving Harry another push against the locker before he stepped back to walk away.

Harry blinked a couple of times when he was finally cleared from Stan. He turned his head and watched Stan disappear from the hallway, and when he was finally left alone, he let out a big breath of air. Harry willed himself not to cry. As much as his back and knees hurt, and his bruised ego reappearing, he knew he was stronger than letting himself cry.

Harry crouched down to start picking his stuff up when he heard footsteps approaching him again. He tensed up right away and looked up to see who it was, immediately frowning when he saw that it was Louis.

Harry scoffed as he began piling all his papers and folders together in front of him. Louis bent down as well and began helping Harry get all his supplies together. He didn't say anything or actually help all that much. Instead, Louis kept looking at Harry with wide, worried eyes, a look he wore as if he wanted to say something. Maybe apologize on behalf of his friends. It drove Harry mad.

The two of them stood up once Harry had just about all his stuff in his hand. Louis picked up the folders that Harry didn't grab and reached out to hand them to him. Harry snarled his nose as he ripped those out of Louis' hands, shoving the papers inside his folder and walking past Louis hastily.

"You know, you could have stopped Stan," Harry growled, "Instead of looking at me like that, you could've done something."

Louis sighed as he quickly rushed to catch up with Harry. "I can't control my friends, Harry," he argued weakly.

Harry rolled his eyes as he went to open his locker again. He was rather fed up with the day and honestly wanted to skip and go home. So, he planned on doing that. He ripped his bag from inside his locker and began stuffing all his messed up papers and folders inside.

"That's a pathetic excuse," Harry replied with a growl. He slammed the locker shut and turned to face Louis, a cold glare on his face. "You look at me with that stupid look on your face every time something happens to me, yet you do nothing about it. You laugh with your friends," Harry paused to look at Louis again, noticing Louis' sad eyes and pouty lips. Harry rolled his eyes and pushed past him again, heading straight towards the school doors. " _God,_ you're such a fucking dick. Reid was right about you."

Harry didn't make it too far past Louis before he felt dainty hands wrapping around his bicep. Louis immediately turned Harry back around with a cold glare now on his own face. Harry knew he would get some sort of reaction out of Louis once mentioning Reid, but he didn't expect Louis' entire mood to turn completely angry. Harry underestimated Louis and Reid's hatred for each other sometimes, and this was one of those times he did.

"Don't you fucking talk to me like that, Harry-"

"Or what?" Harry cried. Louis was still griping his bicep, and the hold was starting to hurt. He grabbed on to Louis' wrist and ripped Louis' hand away from his arm, consciously rubbing out the spot Louis' fingers were griping on to.

"You'll hit me? Push me? Curse at me? Or toss me out my chair?" Harry continued with his voice starting to rise. "You and your friends are bullies. It's quite pathetic to know someone your age likes to get off on making another person feel like shit. You're about to graduate this year. It's time for you lot to grow up and find something better with your life to do."

Harry didn't bother to listen to any more of Louis' bullshit. He hurriedly made his way out the school doors and rushed straight to his car when he got the chance to flee. Harry then sped out of the school parking lot to make his way home in a hasty motion. He walked straight up to his room and slammed the door behind him before tossing himself on the mattress and grabbing a pillow to cover his face.

He let out a loud scream that was muffled by the cushion. He started to feel tears in his eyes once the reality of the day started to finally set in. Harry huffed as he tossed the pillow away and wiped his eyes from the tears. He pulled his phone out his pocket and clicked his home button to see if he had any notifications, but his heart dropped when he realized not even Reid sent him a message.

Harry groaned as he started to dial Reid's number, knowing he was probably having lunch right now and should be available to answer his phone.

"Harry?"" Reid picked up, sounding rushed and slightly out of breath. Maybe he had just finished practice Harry thought, that would be the only explanation for him being out of breath during the middle of the day.

"Yes. Hello. Hi. You didn't text me again today." Harry whined, but he heard a groan coming from the other line and maybe a fainted cuss word whispering out of Reid's mouth. Harry scoffed loudly and sat himself up. "Am I bothering you or something?" Harry snapped. "I didn't know it was such a problem making time to talk to your boyfriend."

"I'm busy, Harry," Reid sighed, sounding annoyed and like he would rather being doing anything else other than talking to Harry. "I can't put my own life on hold just so you can call and bitch to me about something. I do still have my own shit to worry about."

Harry felt a knife stab him straight in the chest as tears instantly filled his eyes. He didn't know what to expect from this call, but having Reid talk to him like that certainly wasn't it. Harry quickly wiped his eyes when he felt tears starting to run down his cheeks and land on his legs. He let out a big puff of air as he slowly laid back down on his bed, curling in on himself and feeling insecurity wash over him.

"You used to always have time for me," he reminded weakly.

"Well, that's because I would see you everyday. Now I don't."

Harry sighed again as he pressed the phone closer to his ear. He could hear Reid breathing through the line, finally not sounding so out of breath. They remained on the phone together in silence as Harry stared off at the wall. That was when Harry began thinking about his relationship with Reid - how he had the biggest crush on Reid his first year at West Point.

Then he remembered stumbling upon Reid his second year. Reid had actually bumped into Harry a few days after the start of school and caused Harry to spill his coffee all over himself - which resulted in his clumsy ass to slip. However, like a knight and shining armor, Reid was there to pick Harry up from falling, and Harry remembered the minute their eyes made contact, his breath had stopped short, and he felt like he was in a fairytale.

Harry smiled at the memory, remembering the beginning of their relationship when everything was all sunshine and rainbows. Harry didn't know when things started to change and the happiness started to die down, but it happened sometime throughout their relationship, and Harry hated knowing that the two of them really weren't getting anywhere.

"Reid, I lo-" Harry started, wanting to remind Reid that he's loved, but then someone on the other line interrupted him. Harry perked up right away when he heard the faint sound of a female voice calling out for Reid, sounding slow and seductive as she beckoned him with a pet name. "Reid, who the hell is there?" Harry asked slowly, his heart rate picking up as his breathing started to get choppy.

"No one, Harry. Chill the fuck out," He quickly replied, not sounding at all convincing. "It-it was just the coach," he then added weakly.

Harry swallowed the lump as he thought over what Reid said. He had this feeling in the pit of his stomach that Reid was lying to him. Because ever since Harry made the call, Reid seemed on edge and breathless. He knew it was the middle of the school day and should be lunch time at West Point, so the logic of Reid being called by the coach didn't make sense. Clearly, it was a girl on the other line sounding rather needy.

Harry must have lost track of the time trying to analyze the phone call because soon enough, Reid was bidding a quick goodbye and hanging up. The phone line went dead abruptly, and Harry pulled his phone away from his ear to see a black screen on his phone. Harry stared at it for a few moment before he finally cracked and broke down crying.

 

//

 

The rest of the week for Harry was suprisingly free from trouble - given that it was only for three days - but even in that short amount of time, Harry did not come in to contact with anyone on the football team. Added to that, Harry had barely heard from Louis as well. It was strange to see Louis keep their conversations short and make it apparent he was distancing himself, but then Harry started to get the idea that maybe it was Louis was keeping the football team away from him.

Either way, these past three days were the most free Harry had felt in awhile. 

Since Harry wasn't walking on eggshells - meaning, he wasn't constantly on the lookout for Stan or any other football player who loved to mess with him -  he found himself actually enjoying school for a change. He could now saw Liam, Zayn and Niall were his friends given the fact that Harry was able to talk to them more and feel partially like himself again. Harry even got constantly bombarded by the three lads about the party because they all wanted him to go, thinking he would be a good, fun drunk person to be around.  

Louis even asked a couple of times as well, making it seem like he genuinely wanted Harry to go. It was odd because Louis knew why Harry wasn't going, but it seemed like maybe there was a part of Louis that was hoping for Harry to change his mind and chose him. Harry could be very much looking way too far into this, but Louis wouldn't keep bugging Harry about a party if not for any other reason.

But by the time Friday did approach, Harry was more than excited to finally head back to his hometown to spend a whole weekend with his boyfriend.

Harry had hoped him and Reid could repair their fractured relationship. It started with Harry trying not to let his last phone call with Reid affect him as much as it did. However, that was a difficult task considering Harry heard a female voice on the other end of the line and had caught Reid when he was completely out of breath - but Harry was doing his best to move past it. Kind of. 

Harry had been trying to get in the mood for his anniversary like he promised himself he would, however, Reid hasn't been helping Harry much with the lack of affection he's been receiving. Just that morning Reid sent a single message demanding Harry to come over in the evening. It had no messages of love or any form of sentimental greetings, just a message simply telling Harry what time he needed to be at Reid's house. There was no further explanation or reasoning behind the text other than being short and curt.

It didn't make it any better that Reid told Harry to come around seven in the evening, which Harry didn't understand why he was wanted so late. He figured Reid would want to get a start to their anniversary celebration sooner, like having sex? but Reid apparently had something else. It didn't help either that there was no follow up I love you's or any happy anniversary throughout the day to follow the message, so Harry was really trying to think of an explaination for that. 

Harry tried to reason with himself that maybe there was a purpose to the way Reid was reacting. Sure, Reid had never been into anniversaries or been super romantic, but Harry had a sliver of hope that maybe this was a build up for something. He could feel something in the pit of his something that something big would happen tonight, and he only hoped Reid's lack in communication is the reasoning behind it.

Harry was heading out the back doors like he had done for the entire week, going straight towards the bleachers where he has grown accumstomed to eating his lunch alone. Of course there was always an occasional Louis or Zayn that would appear and keep him company. Most of the time it was Zayn who would talk to him while Louis sat off to the side to smoke. 

Harry tried not to think too much about the fact that Louis was so blatantly ignoring him. 

 

Actually, he thought a lot about it. 

Harry didn't understand Louis at all. Sometimes Louis really could make Harry's day so miserable by some of the stuff he says or the actions he choses to take. Those are the times when Harry has this sudden urge to really punch him in the face just so Louis could get a taste of his own medicine.

But then there are those times when Louis wants to talk to Harry. Louis and Harry would make each other smile and laugh, and those are the times Harry really enjoys. He gets to see another side of Louis that gets masked behind this reputation he has grown throughout his years at North Bridge. Louis is geniuenly dorky, a bit childish, but Harry enjoys that side of him. 

It's when Louis goes from one version of himself to another that makes Harry's head spin the most. 

Harry sat up on the third bench of the bleachers once he finally got up its steps. Once he was sat, he pulled out his plastic bin holding his arranged salad. All his ingredients were sat neatly on top of the lettuce, so Harry had to shake it all together before he was able to eat it. Just as he was raising his arms to mix his salad, he noticed someone walking up the steps to the bleachers. Harry looked up and blinked when he realized it was Louis. 

"Salad?" Louis rolled his eyes. 

Harry swallowed when his vision settled on Louis standing in front of him, the afternoon sun shimmering off Louis' tan body. Has he been working out more? Harry thought with a frown. Louis' arms were exposed, moreso, his biceps looked toned and defined, nearly bulging out the sleeves of his shirt. Harry could see the litter of tattos racing up and down his arms, and Harry never realized how many Louis actually had until right now.

It was 25 tattoos, and that wasn't including the two on Louis' chest that Harry has faintly seen before. 

Harry needed to stop. 

"I have to eat healthy at times," Harry coughed, looking back down at his food so he could focus on that rather than on Louis. He uncapped the lid to his plastic bin and stabbed his fork in the lettuce. He looked back up at Louis and gave him a cheeky smile before obnoxiously taking a bite of his salad. "Mhm, delicious."

Louis shook his head while softly giggling. Harry watched curiously as Louis then moved to sit down on the benches a row below him, a smile on his face while he pulled a cigarette from his pockets. Harry raised his eyebrow when Louis pressed the bud of the cigarette in his mouth before pulling out a lighter and lighting the end of it. 

After Louis sucked in the first bit of smoke and blowing it out between his lips, Harry pointed his fork over at Louis. "You smoke?" he questioned with a frown, giving himself another bite of his salad.

Louis raised his eyebrow as he blinked between the cigarette and at Harry, clearly amused by Harry's question. "Obviously," he teased. He pressed the cigarette back in between his lips and hit another round, blowing out air before he was holding the cigarette in front of Harry. "Want one?"

"No. I hate it," Harry declined quickly, grimacing as he pulled himself away.

"Your boyfriend sure doesn't," Louis grumbled under his breath. He leaned back against the fence to the bleachers and sucked in some more smoke.

"Yeah, I know," Harry sighed, sounding rather frustrated. Louis must have heard the shift in his tone because he immediately blew the smoke out and turned to look at Harry, tilting his head as if he was waiting for Harry to explain. "I don't like when he smokes around me, or when he makes me smoke," Harry continued, seeing Louis furrow his eyebrows.

"Oh," Louis mumbled under his breath.

Then he did something Harry was least of all expecting. He took the cigarette out from in between his lips and tossed it over the railing so it would land on the ground. He then turned his face the other way and blew the rest of the smoke out of his body. Harry widen his eyes as he watched Louis, in complete awe that Louis would do something so sincere.

Add that to the list of confusing things Louis has done.

"What was that for?" Harry questioned confusedly, setting his food down next to him.

Louis shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly while leaning back against the fence. He then pulled out a pack of gum and tossed a piece in his mouth to give him something to do instead of smoke. "I'm not going to sit here and smoke when you say you don't like it," he admitted.

"That's - nice," Harry stuttered, not entirely sure how to act or what to say. Reid would never stub his cigarette out for Harry or flush his pills down the drain for the sake of saving an argument. Instead he would flaunt the drug in front of Harry's face and continue to take it without caring how Harry felt about it. So this was a nice difference.

"You know I can be that sometimes. Nice," Louis smiled, but then he seemed to have thought of something. Because the smile he once had turned into a frown, and he leaned closer to Harry and looked as if he was concerned for something. "Hey, what did you mean when you said he makes you smoke?" he then asked.

Harry scrunched his nose up and turned away from looking at Louis, opting to stare out at the football pitch. "If its a joint or a cigar or anything of that, he'll usually shove it in my mouth. Same with pills," Harry sighed, feeling himself shiver at the thought of it. That shouldn't be normal, Harry thought to himself. A boyfriend shouldn't be forcing drugs on their partner and have it be okay.

"I dunno," Harry continued weakly, dropping his eyes down to his lap and watching the different ways he could twist his fingers together. "We usually shotgun after so it's not _all_ that bad, but I do have asthma so it doesn't help."

Harry knew that was a weak excuse. He could feel it in the pit of his gut that no matter what explanation he tried to come up with, it still was not something Reid should be doing. 

"Harry, that's fucked up," Louis snapped right away, shaking his head in disbelief.

Harry thought for a moment and found himself agreeing with Louis. He knew it was fucked up, but to have Louis blatantly saying so doesn't sit right with him either. He felt like he was fueling some fire in the war between Louis and Reid, and sitting there admitting a major flaw in Reid to his so called enemy doesn't help much either.

So, Harry decided to change the subject. "Why are you here?"

Louis shrugged his shoulders as he pulled another piece of gum out his shorts. "Stan is being a dumbass, per usual. It's getting on my nerves actually," he grumbled, tossing the gum in his mouth over his head and popping the new one in. "Plus, I needed a smoke, and Zayn couldn't come."

"I don't need company," Harry sassed back.

"I didn't ask."

There wasn't much talking after that. In fact, the rest of the lunch remained in silence while Harry went back to eating. He was fine with the quiet and the distraction of looking out at the football pitch to occupy his eyes. However, he still found himself looking over at Louis to see what he was doing. Louis was still leaning agaist the fence like he was when he first arrived, but now his eyes were closed and he had earphones plugged in. 

That's when Harry began to wonder what kind of music Louis listened to. He was curious to know if Louis ever found a personal connectioon to lyrics like he often did, or if Louis was good at interpreting the words of an artist. He had caught Louis nodding his head a few times and mumbling words under his breath, so it made Harry's curiosity grow even more.  

Harry really needed to stop thinking about Louis as much as he did. Like desperately needed to stop.

The hour bell finally rung when it was time to move on to the next block period. Harry was thankful that he could now distract himself with packing up all his items instead of sitting there staring - admiring Louis. It didn't work out as much as Harry had planned because he was still notciing Louis in his peripheral picking up his own stuff as well.

Then to make things worse for Harry's internal battle, he noticed Louis was walking with him to the trash can before heading towards the doors. The act was small and probably shouldn't be _that_ big of a deal, but it made Harry blush. Louis could have easily left Harry to get back into the school, but he was purposly wanting to walk with him.

Even when they got to the doors, Louis opened them up for Harry to walk through. It was again another small act that Harry wasn't used to, so he knew his face was heating up more than normal. He only hoped Louis had not noticed because last thing Harry wanted was for Louis to know that he had the affect to make Harry blush. That was a secret kept for Harry alone. 

"Have a good anniversary, Harry," Louis exited with. He gave Harry a tight smile and a small squeeze to his arm before he was turning the corner to dissappear in the mass of students. 

Harry kind of stood there a little dumbfounded, not entirely sure what he was supposed to say in response. However, once Louis had left, Harry found himself smiling at the sentiment. Louis may hate Reid more than anything, but he had cared enough to at least wish Harry a good day. It was nice. Odd, but nice. 

Harry went through the rest of his day just as uneventful as the previous ones. Right when the final hour bell rang for the day, Harry quickly made his way down the main corridor of the school to get himself home. He was in a rush to get ready for his anniversary, but no matter the speed he was going at, he was still stumped when he saw Louis and Stan talking to one another right at the foot of the main enterance steps of the school

Harry stood behind the front doors and watched for a second as Louis got in Stan's face to yell at him over something. It all happened within a matter of seconds before Louis gripped Stan's shirt to drag him towards the football pitch. Harry didn't understand what was going on between the two of them, but something inside of Harry was telling him that Louis just saved him from Stan. 

None if mattered though, because Harry was on a mission to get home. And once he finally was, Harry was already getting started on preparing for the evening. He still had about five hours until he had to actually show up at Reid's place, but something inside of him made him want to get there as quickly as he could. Reid may have something planned for Harry for the night, but Harry had a plan of his own, and that involved surprising Reid a little earlier than expected to get their celebratory sex started.

So Harry's first step was to take a long, hot shower. He wanted to make sure that his body was thoroughly cleaned and completely smooth. Harry probably washed his body with soap a little too much and may have down his skin in sugar scrub, but he loved the feeling of it afterwards. He loved when he smelt good, especially if it ended with him having sex. 

Just the thought of what was to come for the night excited Harry. Being under the hot water as it fell down his clean skin - having his own hands run up and down his body as he rubbed even more soap on himself. He couldn't help that his hand immediately wrapped around his own cock, having the excitement of the night go straight to his groin.

He had a quick wank in the shower. All images of his naked body being pinned down by Reid's was enough to make him release all over his hand. He felt relaxed and elated once he was done, stepping out the shower with a soft smile on his face. He wrapped a towel around his waist and then another in his hair, going on to the next step in deciding what he wanted to wear.

The first article of clothing that came to his mind was his famous black skinny jeans. He remembered how much Reid enjoyed them the first time Harry ever wore them. They were tight and clung to all the right places on Harry's legs, making his ass look big and juicy and his thighs thick and delicious. 

He dropped the towel from his waist and shimmied those tight pants up his legs. He then walked around his closet looking for a proper shirt to go with his anniversary outfit. He wanted something with buttons so that he could expose his chest, and maybe a blouse so his arms could be free. He found his sheer, black floral shirt that was slightly see through and found it perfect to wear. 

He pulled it over his shoulders and only did the bottom three buttons up and left the rest open. He grabbed his black ankle boots off the top shelf of his closet and then walked out to admire himself. He quickly removed the towel from his head and shook out his hair until it was just a tangly wet mess on top of his head. 

Harry smiled as he walked over to his body mirror to look at himself. The shirt he wore showed off his entire upper body and just a little bit of his tattoos. He bit his lips as he turned just a little bit to the side, admiring the plump of his ass and the arch in his back.

"Perfect," Harry sighed in relief, feeling happy with the outfit he put together.

By the time he was officially dressed and had packed his bag for the weekend, it was almost five in the evening. Harry wanted to be earlier than what Reid had suggested, so he got in his car and began heading towards Reid's place. Which, he ended up getting there almost close to 6. He pulled up alongside the curb and bounced in his seat as looked over the house he had so many memories at. Harry was excited. He has always been the one to enjoy anniversaries and holidays, and the fact that he got to celebrate his own anniversary just made even more jittery.

Harry got up to the front door and knocked. He waited a few minutes in hopes that Reid would answer, but instead, Harry continued to stand there shifting his weight between each foot. So, Harry tried the doorknob, and he frowned when he realized it was unlocked. 

That was weird. 

Harry blew air out his lips and pushed the front door open before walking through the living room. He noticed that the lights in the house were off and the entire place was quiet, but he knew Reid was home considering his car was in the driveway. Maybe he was up in his room, Harry thought to himself - maybe preparing for the surprise he had planned for Harry.

Harry bit his lip as he skipped forward down the hallway he knew Reid's room was at. His excitement continued to grow the closer he got to the door, but once he was standing right at the door, there was a rush of uncertainty flooding him. His excitement and happiness was then washed with something unfamiliar, and he had a feeling in his stomach that he didn't particularly like. If anything, it made him feel kind of nauseous. 

Something felt off.

Harry twisted his lips to the side as his hand hovered over the door knob. He was ready to turn the knob and enter the room, but then something in his mind told him to press his ear to the door. So that's what he did. He didn't really know what to expect, but strange breathing sounds was not one of them - and they were quite loud breathing sounds as well, with maybe a couple of moans making their way in between.

Harry tried to reason with himself. He tried to make himself believe that maybe Reid was in his room having a wank, kind of what Harry did in the shower. He really wanted to convince himself so, but when he finally opened the door and stepped inside, he wasn't expecting that. He wasn't expecting Reid to be laying flat on the bed with Nadine completely sitting on his lap, both completely stark naked. They didn't even notice Harry had walked in yet as she continued to rise up and down on her knees, face buried in Reid's neck as Reid's hand touched all over her breast.

Harry suudenly felt sick.

"What the hell?" Harry yelled, wide eyes staring straight at where Reid and Nadine were connected. The bag he had in his hands fell to the floor and he immediately covered his mouth as he processed the sight he saw in front of him.

The two of them paused right away at the sound of Harry's voice. Nadine leaned up from where she was bent and turned her head towards Harry. Reid was shocked when his wide eyes made contact with Harry, neither Reid nor Nadine making any move to actually remove herself from Reid's dick. It was quite a disturbing thought.

Harry began shaking his head while he looked between the two of them. He couldn't help the tears that instantly filled his eyes and the loud, choked sob that escaped his throat. Harry couldn't stand to see the two of them like that in the position anymore, so he covered his eyes and let the tears run freely down his face. 

Harry cried. He was standing there in the middle of Reid's room properly bawling his eyes out while Reid and Nadine finally had the decency to separate themselves. Nadine covered herself with the sheets and remained completely quiet, if anything, she was pretty speechless herself. 

Reid got up from the bed just as Harry reopened his eyes. He pulled boxers up to cover himself and quickly made his way towards Harry. "Harry, it was an accident-"

"Don't," Harry suddenly growled, letting his anger fully cloud his heartbreak and sadness.

Of all the things Reid could have done on their anniversary, Harry was least of all expecting him to cheat. There were many other days he could have done so, but Harry didn't understand why it had to be this day. He didn't understand why Reid didn't just break up with him. He didn't understand why Reid cheated on him instead of ending things like a normal person.

Harry just simply didn't understand.

Harry took in some slow deep breaths as he turned his head to see a picture on top of Reid's dresser. It was a framed polaroid photo of the two of them sharing a kiss on their first anniversary. Harry laughed bitterly as he gently picked the picture up, running his fingers along with the glass before he chunked it across the room. 

"Harry," Reid breathed slowly, making another move closer to Harry. 

"No. Fuck, no," Harry yelled back. When Reid was close enough in distance, Harry pushed him back as hard as he could. He then bent down to pick his bag up and turned to storm out, but Reid got close again and even tried to grab on to Harry's arm.

This only infuriated Harry even more. Because in an instant, Harry turned to face Reid and slapped him hard across the face.

"On our fucking anniversary?" Harry asked rhetorically, hating that his voice cracked and the tears still prominent in his eyes. "How many other times was it _just an accident_ , Reid? Of all the shit that you've done, this one by far makes you even worse than _Louis_."

Harry knew those were the buttons to push to make Reid mad, and it worked. Harry stormed immediately out the room and could hear Reid chasing after him, hot on his trail. Harry knew any mention of Louis or any comparison towards him would get any reaction out of Reid, and all Harry wanted to do was make Reid just as mad as he felt broken. 

"Don't you fucking say that to me," Reid snapped when the two of them were standing in the front lawn to his house.

"What?" Harry laughed bitterly again, turning around to size up to Reid. "That you're a worse person than Louis? Because you are. He has shown me in this past week that he's more a man than you'll ever be. Louis may hate you until earth's end, but he had the decency to still wish me a great anniversary. He also doesn't shove his drugs in my mouth like you do. You know what you do instead? You do fucking prick things because you're a dick."

"Harry, I swear to-"

"What? You swear to what?" Harry tested him.

The two of them were now face to face, Harry holding his firm stance while Reid was snarling his nose. They stood in this position for what felt like ever before Harry was starting to let the night fully dawn on him. Harry let out another breath and stepped back from Reid, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You fucking cheated on me, Reid," Harry said weakly, "You showed me that love means nothing to you and that you absolutely don't care about me. I tried talking to you all this week because I've been having such shit days, but you ignored me. I wanted _you_ Reid, what happened?"

Reid opened his mouth ready to say something, but then nothing came out. He shook his head and shrugged his shoulder, completely at a loss for words. "I don't know," he muttered just as confused as he looked. "It just happened."

"Two years, and you don't know," Harry repeated bitterly. He looked at Reid one last time before giving him a fake smile and turning to head towards his car. "Goodbye, Reid."

"You'll come back to me," Reid finally called out, once Harry was opening his car door and getting inside. Harry turned his head and looked over at him, raising his eyebrow and frowning. "You're nothing without me. Absolutely nothing. People only know your name because of me, so who's going to want you now?"

Harry had to admit, those words hurt, but the last thing he wanted to do was give the satisfaction to Reid in showing any ounce of hurt on his face. So, he kept a straight face as he closed his car door. He started up his car and immediately drove off, not even casting a glance back in Reid's direction. 

 

//

 

Harry ended up at Zayn's party. 

He had made good time too since a lot of people were already at Zayn's house. Unfortunately, he did have to park a few blocks down since the street Zayn lived on was completely packed with cars, but it gave him good enough time to cry without having anybody approach him. It took about a solid half-hour before Harry finally felt good enough to make his way out of the car towards the party. 

When Harry walked through the front door, a loud beat was blaring through the speakers. The living room was dimmed low, only having fairy lights dangling from the walls to give some sort of light. There were bodies every where, either drinking from red solo cups or grinding up against each other in the middle of the room. Some couples occupied the couch and spent the time sucking each other's faces. 

Harry grimaced as he looked at everyone before he was walking towards the kitchen. He pushed through the swinging door and saw that there was a table set up for beer pong along the far wall. Harry didn't even make it a few steps before he heard a squeal, and a blonde girl was pulling him in for a hug. 

"Harry!" Taylor giggled into Harry's neck. She pulled back with a smile and waved her cup in the air as if she was showing Harry she was drinking.

"Hello, you're very drunk," Harry teased in response.

"You look like you need a drink," Taylor admitted, already grabbing Harry's arm and dragging him towards the counter where a huge punch bowl was. Harry laughed as he stumbled forward after her. She quickly made him a cup and shoved it in his direction. Harry smiled as he grabbed it from her and raised it in the air before bringing it to his lips and finishing it all within a few gulps. 

"Here take another one," Taylor was suggesting as she grabbed Harry's empty cup, already filling it up with more punch. 

Harry laughed, but he easily took the cup and downed that one as well. He normally had some self-control when it came to drinking, but since he just caught his now ex boyfriend cheating on him, he felt as if he had a right to completely get himself shit faced. The last thing he wanted to do was think about Reid, and if getting his mind lost in alcohol is the way to go, then he was going to do just that.

"Don't mind if I do," Harry cheered. Taylor seemed to be equally as enthused as Harry drinking as much as he already was. She clapped her hands and easily filled the cup up again, seemingly wanting Harry to get just as drunk as she was - and Taylor was already gone. 

Harry was about on his fourth cup when he felt arms being wrapped around his chest. Harry flinched for a moment, but when he turned his head he noticed it was Niall plastered to his back with a dopey, drunk smile on his lips. "Harry, you made it," Niall sighed happily.

"Hey, Ni," Harry greeted with a giggle. He shifted the two of them so that Niall was now next to him and could hang their arms around each other. "Where's Zayn?" he then asked when he noticed he didn't see him following Niall. Normally he, Zayn and Liam are a little clan, and Harry figured they would have bombarded him already since showing up.

"Over there," Niall giggled, pointing across the kitchen where the beer pong table was set up. Harry bit his lip when he saw Zayn having a chug off with none other than Louis. Harry's stomach swooped right away when he watched the way Louis' throat contracted with every gulp he took, but he tried to ignore it as he made his way over there to make his presence know. 

"Kick his ass, Zayn," Harry cheered the minute he got close enough to their chug off. 

Zayn got distracted right away and spluttered out his drink once hearing Harry's voice. He set his cup on the table and turned to look at Harry, wide eyes and a giant grin on his face as he stumbled his way towards him. "You're here," Zayn cried out, wrapping his arms around Harry and hugging him tightly. "What an amazing birthday surprise."

"Babe, it's not your birthday," Liam then came up beside them, gently grabbing Zayn by his shirt and pulling him back. Zayn giggled right away and easily fell to Liam's side, snuggling up against him as Liam cautiously looked at Harry's face. "You good?" he asked curiously.

Harry shrugged his shoulders, hoping he could play it off and not make it seem like he actually just came from crying in his car. "Rough night, but I'm good now."

Taylor then wedged her way in between Harry and Liam. She grabbed on to Harry's arm and began dragging him towards the table that Louis was silently standing by. "Harry and Louis need a chug off," she suggested with a loud cheer. "Louis needs to be beaten." 

Harry widened his eyes as he made eye contact with Louis, slowly stepping to stand next to him. Louis handed him a cup of the punch and gave him a look for a moment, one that seemed curious, and Harry could easily tell that Louis was wondering why he was even at the party. Louis of all people knew it was Harry's anniversary, so Harry knew that he was the last person Louis expected. 

"One," Taylor began, hitting her hands on top of the table. "Two. Three. Chug."

Louis and Harry shared one more look with one another before they clinked their cups together. The both brought the cups to their mouth and began chugging the drink. It was only a few seconds before Louis was finishing with a slam of his cup to the table. Harry had finished the last few sips before ending his chug off with a cough, wiping his mouth when some of the drink dripped on his chin.

"And Louis is the reigning champ," Niall grumbled, but he quickly hopped forward to switch places with Harry to have his go around with chugging. "Now my turn. Watch as Louis gets defeated."

Harry snorted as he watched Louis hand a cup over to Niall, knowing this was about to be something amusing to watch. But then Harry was being dragged again, back over towards the punch bowl with Taylor's hand wrapped around his bicep. Harry smiled as she pulled out a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses, already going to pour them some shots. 

They got about two shots in when Taylor was ready to go and dance her alcohol out. A song she seemed to like had came on, and the minute she heard it, she squealed and pulled Harry out the kitchen towards the living room. That seemed to be where the designated dance floor was because everyone was gathered around tightly pressing to one another and dancing wildly. 

Harry didn't oppose it as the two of them went dancing. He was already drunk enough and had a cup of more punch in his hand, so he could enjoy himself for a little bit. When Taylor dragged them to the middle of the dance floor, she immediately turned towards him and swiveled her hips. 

But then Taylor scooted herself closer to Harry, almost to the point where their bodies were touching. Her hands reached out and made their way to Harry's sides, running down the length of his torso and dropping herself down low. Her face was then right near Harry's crotch, causing him to gulp and internally freak out as she blinked up at him.

She then shook her hips as she slowly stood back up to face Harry. She smiled at him once more before she turned around and had her ass rubbing up against Harry's groin. She bent her hips and started shaking her hips all along Harry, smirking when his hands reached out to grab on to her. And the thing was is that Harry really tried to resist it. 

He truly tried to resist the hot feeling going straight to his groin, but he was drunk. He was sexually frustrated, and at the moment, he simply didn't care. It's been awhile since he had any action at all, and if Taylor rubbing her ass up against his dick was the best he could get, well then he would take it. If he closed his eyes and just pictured anyone other than her, then he could focus more on the feeling of his dick rather than the person messing with it.

The minute a weak moan fell out his mouth, Taylor instantly pulled back. Harry opened his eyes quickly and stared frighten at her as if he did something wrong, but instead, she got close to his body. She leaned up and pressed her lips up against his ear, breathing hotly on his skin. "Let's find a room," she suggested.

And Harry didn't know what in his right mind made him agree, but he found himself following behind Taylor as she led both of them towards the stairs. The two then found an empty bedroom, and they were quick in shedding their clothes. 

Harry knew the minute he walked into the room with her that he would absolutely regret everything. He wasn't attracted to her, nor had he ever really slept with a girl. So this whole quick hook up he did was quiet a fail. He tried his hardest to actually get and remain hard once they were in the situation to have sex. It was a difficult task, but Harry had to fake it to the end until he was stumbling out of the bedroom and trying his best to avoid Taylor for the rest of the night.

He was still some what hard since Taylor wasn't able to fully satisfy him. It was quiet embarrassing, but Harry knew he needed to go into a bathroom to finish off what she couldn't. He stumbled down the hallway and made it to the first door that was available. He pushed it open right away hoping it was a bathroom, but instead it was a bedroom hiding two naked boys. 

"Holy shit," Harry cried out, immediately covering his eyes when he saw the position the two guys were in. He bit his lip and turned away to hide behind the door, breathing out quickly through his nose. "I'm sorry," he quickly said before closing the door behind him and resting his back up against the wall.

Now of all things, he really didn't expect to walk in on Louis having sex with another man. And quite ironically, in the same position he found his ex-boyfriend in with Nadine. Some random bloke ready to sit on Louis' dick, and Harry's heart was rapidly beating in his chest once catching a glimpse of Louis' hard cock being gripped by another man. 

What an odd and strange night Harry has had.

"What the fuck?" Harry grumbled to himself, running his fingers through his hair and letting out a little breathy laugh.

Harry shook his head in trying to clear his mind, but he honestly could not shake the image of what he saw. He finally pushed himself off the wall and stumbled his way down the steps. He had a feeling someone was following behind him, and he was right when he walked into the kitchen and noticed Louis was standing next to him at the beer pong table. 

Harry didn't know what to say to him, and honestly, he really couldn't look at him either. Not after seeing him live in action with another male. It was quite a hard concept for Harry to grasp, and Harry knew Louis obviously wanted to talk about it. Harry wasn't so sure he was ready to. So he decided to pour them each a cup of the punch, handing one to Louis and looking at him readily.

"One, two, three," Harry mumbled under his breath, blinking at Louis and waiting for his nod of approval.

Louis clinked his glass with Harrys before both of them started chugging their drink. Harry was the one who finished first this time. He finished with a loud smack to his lips and the slam of his cup to the table. Louis finished after him, carefully setting his cup down and continuing to look at Harry with some desperate eyes. 

Harry shrugged his shoulders in response and turned to head outside. He made his way out on the deck and sat himself down on the top step. There wasn't a lot of people around, so he enjoyed the peace and quiet. But, once again, Louis followed him outside and took a seat down next to him, blinking over at Harry and staring at the side of his face.

"So you _are_ gay?" Harry accused with a frown, turning to finally look Louis in the eye.

"I'm not gay," Louis stubbornly mumbled under his breath. Harry let out a scoff and rolled his eyes at Louis' denial, knowing very well that having some man ride your dick doesn't exactly make you very  _hetero_. "I thought you were with Reid tonight?" Louis changed the subject, leaning over to bump his shoulder against Harry's. 

"Yeah," Harry laughed bitterly, wiping his eyes when he felt tears again at remembering what happened earlier in the night. "I caught him cheating on me."

Louis straightened up right away and scooted himself closer to Harry. He reached his hand out hesitantly and placed it on Harry's shoulder, idly letting his finger rub along the exposed skin of his neck. "No one deserves to be cheated on. It sucks."

"What do you know about being cheated on?" Harry asked with another bitter laugh, rolling his eyes. "Or a relationship for that matter?"

"I mean, I've been cheated on," Louis admitted slowly, shrugging his shoulders as he dropped his hand from Harry's body.

"Really?"

Louis nodded his head as he looked up at Harry, "About two years ago."

"Who was it?" Harry inquired, quite interested in hearing the story. He didn't really expect to have any connection with Louis whatsoever, but finding out that Louis had been cheated on as well kind of linked the two of them together. Maybe it explained why Louis never really tried for a real relationship and was having fun with hookups.

"Her name was Hanna," Louis began to explain, "Had the biggest crush on her since primary, but finally had the balls to ask her once we were in the first year. But anyways - we were a year into our relationship when I walked in on another guy fucking her. So, yeah - I do know what it's like."

Harry twisted his lips to the side as he carefully examined Louis' face. He could see the hurt on his expression and the tightness in his jaw that signified the anger he felt when remembering. Harry could feel a sudden shift in the air between the two of them as he placed his hand on Louis' back. 

"You know who she cheated on you with?"

Louis then let out a laugh, shaking his head, "You wouldn't want to know. Trust me." 

"Tell me," Harry begged.

Louis was hesitant in answering, and Harry didn't really understand why. He noticed that Louis was watching him carefully and looking as if the last thing he wanted to do was answer, but Harry continued to give him a pleading look until Louis finally caved.

"Reid. It was Reid." 

Harry choked on his own spit as he jerked his head at Louis. "W-what?" he stuttered, feeling his heart break even more. "When?" he asked brokenly, blinking rapidly when he felt tears in his eyes.

"Zayn throws a party the first weekend of every school year. It happened then," Louis started out slowly, grimacing when Harry let out a small sob. "Apparently a few days after you two got together," he added under his breath.

Harry closed his eyes tightly and breathed slowly to keep himself from crying. From all that has happened today, this revelation was probably the least of his worries. But it all hurt the same in knowing around the same weekend he was finally getting together with Reid was the same time he was screwing Louis' girlfriend. It hurt knowing Reid stooped so low to be a cheater, but by this point, Harry really wasn't all that surprised.  

"You know all this time, I always thought you were the asshole between the two of you," Harry confessed, smiling as he quickly glanced down at Louis' lips before refocusing back at his eyes, "But it turns out it was Reid all along."

Louis laughed under his breath as he continued to stare over at Harry. His laughter then subsided, and his lips curved into a soft smile. Harry blushed when he realized Louis was staring at him, and he couldn't help but stare back. The air between them continued to shift, making Harry suddenly feel hot and his stomach swirling continuously. 

"He's a real asshole," Louis agreed right away, licking his lips when he realized Harry kept glancing down at them. "I could've told you this from the start, darling."

"I'm sorry it was Reid who your girlfriend cheated on you with," Harry spoke under his breath, shamelessly dropping his gaze down to Louis' crotch. That's when he noticed Louis was still slightly hard, and Harry could see the bulge in his pants, causing Harry to gulp and quickly flicking his eyes back to Louis.

Harry could now sense what the shift in the air between them was.

"I'm sorry he cheated on you," Louis replied back with wide eyes, but his voice was soft and gentle, making Harry shiver. "He's stupid to have done that." 

Harry gulped again as he scooted even closer to Louis, feeling their thighs and fingers touch together. "Sorry I walked in on you," Harry then apologized with a weak smile, flicking his eyes down to Louis' crotch to hint at what he meant. 

Louis let out a laugh as he looked at Harry's lips, not making any move to look anywhere else. "Probably saved me, really."

Harry hummed, "How so?" He then moved closer and realized that his and Louis' face were merely inches away. He could feel Louis' breath hitting his lips, and that was enough to make Harry's head swirl with alcohol and desire. "You still have a boner," he bluntly added, looking down at Louis' crotch again only to notice it had gotten a little bigger than before.

Louis raised his eyebrow and licked his lips, looking down at Harry's pants and then his eyes, "So do you."

"I have my reasons."

"So do I."

"Tried hooking up with a girl. Didn't work out quite well."

"Cause you're gay?" Louis questioned curiously, no hatred in his tone rather than just pure wonder. Harry shrugged his shoulders as an answer, looking back at Louis crotch again. "Tried hooking up with some random bloke, but I couldn't really finish when you walked in on us, now could we?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders as he inched his head closer. He felt his heart beat start to increase and sweat lining his forehead. He looked at Louis carefully to see if he could catch any hints on his face, and the constant gaze of Louis' eyes looking down at his lips was a clear sign. Harry let out a shaky breath and let the alcohol in his system completely cloud his judgment, not really thinking for once.

"I can help you finish," Harry whispered, "I won't tell if you don't."

Louis pulled his face back for a second and looked at Harry curiously. Harry almost felt stupid for having suggested it all in the first place, but he knew there was alcohol in both of their systems. And not only that, he knew there was massive sexual tension between them, and they both had hard cocks that needed to be fixed.

Louis then smirked at Harry as he reached for a random bottle of liquor amongst a big pile over by them. Harry watched as Louis brought the tip of the bottle to his mouth, giving Harry a wink before taking a long gulp of the substance. When he finished his shot, he handed the bottle over to Harry, raising his eyebrows and waiting for Harry to take his big gulp _._

"What happens behind closed doors, stays behind closed doors," Louis said with a bite to his lip.

Then, it was all a big, hasty blur.

Louis grabbed a hold of Harry's hand and immediately yanked him from the steps. The two of them rushed inside and pushed their ways through the clutter of people to get themselves up to the steps again. Harry led the way as Louis stayed close to his back, guiding him down the hallway with a firm grip on his hips.

The minute they found an unlocked door and empty room, Louis pushed Harry inside. He pulled the door shut behind him and locked it right away before he was shoving Harry's back up against the wall. Harry blinked as Louis moved his lips along the juncture of Harry's neck, pressing kisses all along his jugular before reaching his ear and sucking a mark right along his jawline. 

Harry dropped his head back against the wall and turned his head to the side, giving Louis more room for his lips to canvas every part of his neck. Louis continued working his lips all over Harry's neck and shoulder as he moved his hands to the front of Harry's jeans. He quickly unbuttoned and pulled Harry's pants down, traveling his hands straight to Harry's hard cock and stroking him lazily.

"Please," Harry whined pathetically, dropping his mouth open and letting out a moan when Louis flicked his fingers to the head of his cock. It made Harry arch off the door and pull Louis closer to his body, begging and pleading for more. "Please, make me forget," he breathed out.

Louis growled against Harry's ear as he dug his fingers into the meat of Harry's thighs. He yanked him closer to his body before signaling him to jump up. Harry giggled as Louis lifted him up off the ground, burying his face into Louis' neck and holding on as tightly as he could.

Louis smiled as he pressed a kiss to the side of Harry's ear before he was laying Harry down on his back on the mattress. Louis sat back on his thighs as he went back to completely taking the rest of Harry's pants off. Louis then stood up off the bed and undressed while Harry unbuttoned his own shirt to get that off of himself. 

When the two of them were finally naked, Louis turned to face Harry for a second. "Finger yourself," he demanded as he then walked over to the nightstand. Harry arched his head to see what Louis was doing, noticing that he was looking for a condom and some lube. Harry grumbled under his breath, wishing it was Louis' fingers entering his ass, but he did as told and slicked his own fingers up with spit before stretching himself out the best he could.

Louis eventually found what he needed after scavenging the room. He walked back over to Harry and crawled on top of him whilst looking down to watch him touch himself. Louis smiled as he covered himself with a condom and slicked himself with lube. He then rubbed some lube along the crevice of Harry's ass before he was gripping himself and pushing into Harry's tight heat.

Harry clenched his eyes shut and let out a high pitched whine when Louis pushed himself all the way in. His fingers when straight to Louis' back and clawed at his skin the minute Louis started to move his hips, making him arch his back off the bed and cry out with another moan. Louis snapped his hips harder and faster when Harry started to beg and whine for more, and he continued to kiss all along Harry's neck as the latter continued moaning out for more.

It was quick as they reached their highs. It didn't take long for Harry to spill in between their bodies and for Louis to finish off in the condom. They separated carefully once they came down and Louis was soft enough to do so. Louis then flopped on to his back on the other side of Harry, the two of them staring up at the ceiling as their heavy breaths filled the air.

"You know-" Harry interrupted the silence, turning his head on the pillow to look at Louis. "This ought to be a fun story to tell Reid."

Louis turned his head as well and smiled at Harry, running his fingers through Harry's sweaty hair. "I don't think this would be something he would want to hear."

"Please," Harry rolled his eyes, snorting under his breath. "Sleeping with the enemy. It's sexy. Has a nice ring to it."

"Whatever," Louis mumbled under his breath. He ran his fingers through Harry's hair a couple more times before removing his hand and getting up. He walked naked over to where he took his clothes off at the foot of the bed and slowly began getting dressed. He noticed Harry was watching him, causing him to smile as he bent down to toss Harry his own clothes. "Should probably get you home."

"Yeah," Harry sighed.

He finally pulled himself off the bed and began putting his own clothes on. When the two of them were both dressed, Louis opened the door and ushered Harry through. Harry smiled as he made his way down the steps and out the front door, going completely unnoticed by everyone else around them. 

Louis walked Harry down the block in complete silence until they reached Harry's car. Harry pulled the keys out of his pocket and unlocked his car, but before he could enter inside, Louis was rushing in front of him to open the car door for him. Harry smiled as he got inside and allowed Louis to close the door for him.

He started the car up and rolled the window for Louis to lean his arms on. "Drive safe," He mumbled, tilting his head at Harry and seeing him blush. Louis found himself smiling too, biting his lip as he took another second to admire Harry under the night sky.

"You too," Harry whispered, feeling his face flush right away. "And thanks for helping me tonight. I feel better." Louis nodded his head in response and was ready to leave, but Harry thought of something quick and grabbed on to his arm to keep him from going. "I won't tell anybody. I promise," he then added, referring to their hook up that the two of them just had.

"Thank you," Louis then answered in relief, letting out a big breath of air without realizing he was holding anything in. 

He grabbed Harry's hand in his own and brought his fingers up to his mouth. Louis held Harry's gaze as he began pressing light, feathery kisses to his knuckles. Harry blushed right away and couldn't help the giggle that came out. Louis pressed a few more kisses before giving Harry's hand one final squeeze and letting go.

Louis patted Harry's car a few times before he was turning around to head back to Zayn's house. Harry stared off at him for a few seconds until Louis was out of view, and thats when he finally decided to drive off.

So now Harry concluded that maybe it was time to put West Point behind him. Maybe it was time for Harry to finally enjoy what North Bridge could bring him because, for some reason, he felt like maybe going to this school wouldn't be so bad after all. 

Harry may be able to do this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is the use of homophobia langue in this chapter.

"So Harry Styles is a fag?"

That was the first thing Harry heard people talking about when he walked into school the following Tuesday. Since Monday was a staff holiday, Harry had used that day to completely cleanse himself free from his break up with Reid and his drunk hook up with Louis. Actually, and his little drunk hook up with Taylor as well.

He had a lot he needed to recover from.

The minute Harry stepped foot inside the school, he could feel the eyes of every student looking at him. He saw some people laughing at him, clearly gossiping with whoever they were standing by. Others were simply looking at Harry in disgust, even walking by him and saying so themselves. Harry took another step forward and nervously gripped the strap to his bag, gulping as he surveyed the area to see what exactly was going on. 

He didn't understand where this declaration came from. He never flaunted that he was in a relationship with Reid. In fact, not a lot of people here even knew that. Just Louis and Nick. Besides the football team using homophobic words as a way to harass him, Harry wasn't really openly out of the closet at this school just in fear of what everyone would say. People seemed fine with Liam and Zayn together, what's so wrong if he's the same as them?

Harry continued to look around the hallway until he saw Taylor leaning up against some lockers with one of her cheerleader friends. Harry watched carefully as the two of them leaned towards each other to gossip about something, and Harry could easily tell it was about him.

Well, now Harry may have an idea where that horrible comment came from.

"What the hell?" Harry questioned as he walked his way over towards them, causing Taylor and her friend to separate.

The girl Taylor was with, Harry thought her name was Dani or something like that, turned to Harry with a scowl on her face. She showed pure disgust in her features as she eyeballed Harry from head to toe. "Gay man trying to be straight in bed," She then accused, "Even you should know not to stoop so low."

Harry cocked his head back and turned to look at Taylor for an explanation. "Where the hell did you even get that?"

Taylor let out a bitter laugh and crossed her arms over her chest, frowning as she glared at Harry, "You _slept_ with a boy after you had sex with me. I saw you and some guy go into a room together."

"Fucking queer," The random chick muttered under her breath, making Harry's heart drop to his stomach.

He didn't know if it was the homophobic language that got to him or the fact that Taylor had caught him and Louis heading to have sex. At this point, he didn't know which was worse. Of course, hearing these rude comments being aimed directly towards him made his skin boil and his heart stop, but having the school find out he slept with Louis really wasn't something he wanted on his resume. 

"I did not, Taylor," Harry decided to lie, not wanting any leads or rumors to be spread about him and Louis. "You were just drunk," he then accused weakly.

Taylor rolled her eyes and let out a scoff. She stepped away from the locker and stood right in front of Harry, snarling her nose in anger. "Whether what I saw was true or not, you were _horrible_ in bed." 

Harry harden his eyes at her and held his stance, placing his hands on his hips and leaning his weight on one side. "You were just looking for drunk sex. It's not like you were much better."

Taylor turned her head to share a look with her friend before looking back at Harry with another bitter laugh. "Harry, I wanted to sleep with the hot new guy. I just didn't now that he would be gay and fuck a guy after me."

Harry was ready to further this argument, but the bell for the first class rang, and Taylor and her friend left Harry without even a glance his way. Harry let out a big breath of air as he tried to process everything that just happened, but his quiet moment was ruined when he felt a hand on his back. Harry flinched right away at the contact, back to feeling on guard again considering the events over the weekend, but when he turned around he noticed it was just Nick watching him carefully.

"You good?" Nick asked him softly, seeing Harry's tensed shoulders and clenched jaw. 

"Yeah, I guess," Harry sighed, shrugging his shoulders and finally relaxing a little. "Just, now the whole school knows I slept with a boy _and_ a girl on the same night."

Nick shook his head with a small laugh. He gestured his hand out in front of him so the two of them could begin walking to Harry's class., "Don't sweat it," Nick advised with a smile. "I really doubt you were _that_ bad in bed."

Harry swallowed when Nick turned to look at him, making Harry slightly uncomfortable to say the lease. He knew Nick had some sort of weird crush or thing for Harry, but hearing Nick talk about Harry in bed kind of made Harry want to cry.

"Besides, I thought you were with that West Point boy?" Nick then questioned, a change in subject Harry was actually thankful for. Even though it was about his cheating ex-boyfriend, it was still better than Nick imagining what Harry was like in bed.

"He cheated on me," Harry admitted, less mad than he was when he first came to the realization of it. In all honesty, Harry felt relieved at this point that he got rid of a shitty boyfriend. "With one of my old cheerleader friends actually," he added with a small laugh.

"Ah, so then it was rebound sex."

Harry didn't see his hookups that way, but now that he thought about it, Taylor really was his rebound. He remembered how he was feeling when she was rubbing her body all over him. It felt good being touched like that, but having it be Taylor really wasn't who he was aiming for. But, Harry was desperate, and if he had to sleep with Taylor to fuel his sexual drive then that's what he had planned to do. 

It just didn't really work out as well as Harry had hoped. He figured he needed sex more than he didn't want to sleep with a girl, but not even his body could do that. At least Louis helped him out. And Louis  _really_ helped him out good.

"I guess," Harry laughed nervously.

"So, is it really true that you hooked up with a boy after Taylor?" Nick decided to ask once the two of them made it to the music door.

Harry stopped walking and turned to face Nick. He blinked up at him a few times before diverting his eyes down to his shoes. He started nibbling on his bottom lip as he grew fascinated in the way he was scuffing his boots along the tile ground. "I _uh_ -" Harry started, not being able to finish answering.

"It's okay, mate. I won't ask who," Nick then eased with a smile. When Harry didn't look up from the ground, Nick placed his fingers underneath Harry's chin and gently pushed Harry's face up. Harry's eyes widen right away as he looked at Nick, feeling his breath hitch inside his throat and his shoulders tensing up. 

He didn't know what to make for the gesture, so he simply backed away from Nick to lose that point of contact. "Got to get to class," Harry supplied weakly, gulping down the nervous lump he felt growing in his throat. "I'll see you later."

"If you need me, I'm just one call away."

Harry froze at the door before he went to open it, looking at Nick and giving him a curt nod. He let out another shaky breath and finally opened the door to head inside the classroom to escape Nick. Harry wanted to believe that Nick's intentions were friendly and supposed to be comforting, but there was this nag inside of him that kept saying Nick was looking for more. 

With the way Nick spoke to him sometimes and continuously needing to touch him, Harry had a gut feeling that Nick wanted Harry in a way that Harry did not. Harry honestly wasn't a person to go around and hook up with people, and now that Nick knew he had slept with others, he probably felt like he'd have a chance. Which, he didn't, Harry thought to himself.

Harry's only ever slept with Reid. Kind of slept with Taylor. And actually slept with Louis. He didn't intend on going around to add to his body count. Those two hookups were a drunken accident, and he didn't see himself doing anything like that again. Especially not with Nick.

When Harry stepped inside the classroom, it was like a repeat of when he walked into school. Everyone sitting in their chairs grew a wild fascination for the boy as he slowly walked his way to his seat. All eyes were on him and the silent gossip picked right back up as if it never really stopped. 

Harry made it to his seat and sat down slowly, trying to hide by clutching close to his body as possible. It didn't make the gossip go down or the stares, but Harry felt slightly protected with his own arms around his body.

"So you had a good time," Zayn was the first to say, breaking up the silence by mentioning the giant ass elephant in the room.

Harry turned his head over in his direction and noticed that Niall and Liam were giggling alongside Zayn. Niall even lifted his hand to pat Harry's back, causing Harry to finally -  _finally_ relax some. At least his friends could find proper humor in the situation rather than finding it as hot gossip.

"You got proper wasted, mate," Niall called out with a louder laugh. He seemed the most amused of them all, shaking Harry's shoulders happily before falling back in his chair.

"Yeah, do you even remember Friday night?" Liam questioned with a small, teasing smile.

Harry felt himself laughing as well, shrugging his shoulders as he let his arms fall to his lap. "I just had a really rough night," Harry admitted truthfully, finding comfort in the way his friends were looking at him without even an ounce of disgust or hatred.

"Yeah-" Zayn suddenly straightened up with a frown, "Seems like that rough night is turning in to a rough day."

Harry nodded his head and soon dropped the smile on his face. All those homophobic words that were being tossed around that morning started swirling around in his head again, and he suddenly wasn't in the mood to laugh or be happy.

But then Niall let out another little snort, shaking Harry's shoulder again. "Mate, Taylor?" he questioned comically, causing Harry to crack another smile.

"I was drunk," Harry giggled with a shrug to his shoulders. "Plus, she was the one who dragged me away."

"Is it true you hooked up with a boy after?" Liam then leaned in to whisper, but before Harry had a chance to reply, the door to the music room was being open just as Mr. Reeds was beginning to start class.

Harry turned his head in the direction of the door, simply because he was more interested in seeing who was walking in rather than actually answering Liam's question. Harry immediately caught sight of Louis as he pushed past the door, instantly feeling himself brighten up at the sight of him. Harry could feel his lips curving up into a smile before his mind had time to register it, and when his eyes made contact with Louis', his heart started beating faster.

Harry didn't necessarily oppose the feeling of being happy from seeing Louis, but it was strange. He didn't know if it was because the two of them had sex, but he didn't really get why all of a sudden seeing Louis made his heart beat faster. There was no way Harry got attached that quick from one night. Maybe it was because they were somewhat friends now, and they both found something they could relate to - as in getting screwed over by Reid.

When Louis made his way to the top level, Harry turned his body towards him with a smile. "Hey," he whispered loud enough for Louis to hear, only now noticing how much Louis regretted sitting down next to him.

"Don't talk to me, _faggot_." Louis then snapped once he was sat. He turned to face Harry and gave him a long, cold glare, ready to attack if Harry as so much blinked. Harry gulped, cocking his head back like he couldn't believe what he just heard - and well, he couldn't believe of all people, Louis would be the one to toss that word at him.

"Louis, don't fucking call him that," Liam leaned forward and snapped back, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked at Louis. Harry turned his head to face Liam and smiled a little as he saw Zayn pressing a hand to his back, but looking equally as mad that Louis said that word. At least Harry could now count on his friends to defend him.

"What? It's true," Louis growled, looking at Liam for a second before glaring back at Harry, "And it was Taylor, _really?_ "

Harry frowned as he watched Louis shake his head in disgust, looking as if he was more mad about the fact that Taylor was the girl Harry slept with. Harry didn't know why that was a problem or why that would bother Louis, but no matter the reason, Louis had no right to be this cold towards Harry. They both slept with each other, and Louis was very much into. So Harry didn't know what was even going on with Louis.

 Mr. Reeds then started to begin his lecture over the first assignment that was coming up. The entire class remained silent and focused up at him while Harry couldn't stop pouting over at Louis. He noticed the fire in Louis' eyes as he stared at the front board, the tight hold his fist was in, the clenched jaw. Harry really didn't know why Louis was so pissed. 

"Why are you mad at me?" Harry leaned in to whisper, sounding utterly defeated and upset.

"Leave me alone," Louis grumbled with his teeth clenched together. He refused to look at Harry as he crossed his arms over his chest, perfectly fine with looking at the board and ignoring Harry rather than indulging him in a conversation.

"Louis," Harry growled desperately, trying to keep his voice low so no other students could here him. "I thought we were okay," Harry then sighed. The last thing Harry wanted was to go back to the days where Louis was an asshole to him and making his life a living hell. He thought they were past that and could actually be civil and friendly towards one another.

Louis laughed under his breath, finally turned to look at Harry. "Dream on," he smiled wickedly.

"No," Harry whispered shouted, reaching out to grab a hold of Louis' arm. Louis then snapped his head straight towards Harry, looking as if he had just been burned. Harry ignored the look and only gripped on to him tighter. "Is this because Taylor was the girl, or because it's going around I hooked up with a guy?"

"Leave me alone, Harry," Louis demanded rather slowly, pronouncing every word carefully as he pried Harry's hand off of his arm. "You're gay-"

"GAY?" Harry screeched louder than he intended to, causing a few people to turn their heads towards him. "Louis you're the one who I-"

"Mr. Styles, Mr. Tomlinson," Mr. Reeds then interrupted, placing his hands on his hips and glancing between the two of them, "Glad to know you two enjoy talking together. You both are partners for this project."

"WHAT?" Louis shot up out of his seat, pointing his hand over at Harry and looking completely dreadful. "Don't make me work with him. What's your problem?"

"Why are you so scared to work with me?" Harry snapped back, furrowing his eyebrows in anger as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Louis turned to glare at him, "Don't. Start," he grumbled lowly again, making Harry shiver at how dangerously low his voice got.

"Calm down, Lou," Zayn warned from where he was sat on the other side of Niall, looking as if he was ready to step in to break Louis and Harry apart. Harry could appreciate that much, knowing that they were ready to prevent any sort of scene from happening, but at the moment, Harry wanted to make a scene.

"No seriously," Harry continued to push, standing up as well and turning to face Louis. "Are you scared that if you work with me you're going to turn _gay_?"

Mr. Reeds let out a dreadful groan as he walked to lean himself on the piano. He placed his hand on his forehead and began shaking his head as he let Harry and Louis continue to have their argument. He looked like this was the last thing he wanted to be dealing with, but then some kid in the front row stood up from his seat and turned to face Harry and Louis.

"So you are gay?" That random bloke asked Harry, causing Harry to tilt his head and scowl.

"That's enough boys," Mr. Reeds finally cut in. He stepped away from the piano and walked over towards the steps to the stage. He looked over at Harry and Louis and noticed the two of them were still standing face to face, both with an angry look. "Do I need to take this to the front office?" he threatened when neither one of them made a move to step away.

"No," Harry and Louis both mumbled at the same time. They finally sat down in their seats and remained quiet for the rest of the class hour.

Harry made it peaceful to his second class without having many issues - even managing to avoid Louis after music, but he did notice people were still laughing and talking about him. Not only that, constant homophobic words kept being tossed his way in an attempt to hurt him, but Harry did his best to hold his head high and tried letting those words go in one ear and out the other. 

However, the worst was when Harry was heading to his third class, Anatomy. The one he obviously had with Taylor. He was walking down the hallway minding his own business when a couple of the football players bumped into him. Harry stumbled on his feet with a huff and tried to ignore it, but then one of them slammed Harry's folders out of his hands before they were all laughing on their merry way. 

Harry sighed as he bent down to pick everything up. He knew they could have done worse than that, so at least this attack was rather mild compared to some of the ones Stan has done to him. But now Harry was on edge again, waiting for the next moment he would run into a football player.

Nothing else happened as he made it to the safety of his classroom, but when he stepped in he immediately saw Taylor surrounded by a bunch of her girl friends. They were all looking straight at Harry with pure disgust evident on their faces. Harry sighed defeated as he walked past them to sit at his lab bench that he didn't mind being alone at. 

He could see Taylor and her friends continuing to gossip about him, but he simply ignored it by resting his head on his arms. He let out another big breath as he closed his eyes hoping he could dream all of this away, but he heard the stool on the other side of the table being dragged across the ground. When Harry opened his eyes, he noticed it was Niall sitting down with him. 

"You know if yer gay, I don't really care," Niall stated bluntly, casually tossing his feet up on the table. "I've seen way to much gay stuff happen from Liam and Zayn to really be bothered by it." Harry snorted as he sat up in his chair, feeling himself smile simply from being in Niall's presence. "But, it was a little fucked up to sleep with a girl and then finish it off with a bloke."

"I was just drunk-" Harry pathetically blurted out, shaking his head in disbelief whilst finding himself actually laughing over the whole situation. "And I was sad and angry because I caught my boyfriend cheating on me and-"

"Wait, you had a boyfriend?" Niall interrupted.

Harry gulped right away at the sudden confession of his boyfriend. He didn't mean to blurt it and out himself to Niall, but seeing that Niall didn't really have a reaction from the outburst, Harry did feel slightly better about himself. It's not like having a boyfriend was secret Harry wanted to keep or meant to keep hidden, it just kind of happened when he realized how much hate he was getting from some of the accusations he was receiving. But, Niall seemed fine. Surprised, to say the least.

"Yeah," Harry sighed, slouching his shoulders. "My ex was Reid. Captain of the football team from West Point."

Niall blinked at Harry and remained silent for just a view seconds before he started laughing. "I thought that was a joke, mate," he admitted, calming his laugh down and settling for an amused smile. "Man, I'm sorry. This school has been shit to you."

"It has been," Harry agreed, nodding his head and laughing as well. "I just hope people get over it. At my old school, they never gave a shit at all."

"They will. See, Liam and Zayn don't get shit for being together. Honestly, I think it's just the West Point from you that makes you hot gossip, no matter what it is you do. It'll blow over," Niall reassured, softening his voice. He then took his feet off the table and leaned himself on his elbows. He wiggled his eyebrows at Harry and smirked, "Soooo, who was the lucky boy?"

Harry rolled his eyes and stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest. He looked over at Niall and sealed his lips together in refusal to answer the question at all. Niall let out a huff and tossed a scratch piece of paper at Harry, smiling when it hit Harry in the forehead.

"Whatever," Niall grumbled, turning so he could focus on the teacher beginning her lecture for the hour. 

 

//

 

Harry was heading to his locker when it was finally his lunch hour, and the hallways were already cleared by the time he made it. He was able to avoid any more gossip and digusted stares being sent his way since the morning, so he had that much to feel relieved from. It only took half a day before people were starting to focus on something else rather than Harry's double hook up in one night. 

Harry entered the dial for his locker and reached inside once the door was open. He pulled out his bag of lunch, slamming the door shut behind him before turning around to make his walk towards the bleachers. However, Harry barely had time to turn his body around because the minute he did, he was suddenly being pushed back against the locker.

His spine collided with the handle of the door and his head banged up against locker, causing his body to react without his control with his knees giving out to make him slump on the floor. He felt a sharp pain running down his back alongside his head spinning from the collision. Harry tried to shake his head in order to clear his vision, curious to know who the person was that pushed him, but once he was settled on his feet and could see clearly, he could see that the culprit was Stan.

Harry let out a groan as he pressed one of his hands to his forehead, hoping it would alleviate some of the pressure he felt growing. He used his other hand to start pushing him off the ground, but the minute he started to get on his feet, Stan stepped forward and pressed his shoe on top of Harry's hand. 

"Fuck, ow!" Harry cried out, ripping his hand away and holding it to his chest.

Harry looked up at Stan and suddenly noticed how angery he looked. It was a vast difference from the previous times Harry had ran into Stan. This time, Stan was coursing with anger. Harry could see the fire in Stan's eyes as they stared straight down at his body. There was a vein popping out from the side of Stan's neck from the tight way he was clenching his jaw. His hands were also balled up in fist by his side, looking as if he was ready to attack Harry at any moment. 

Harry didn't even get a chance to recover from being stepped on before Stan was bending down to grip the collar of Harry's shirt. He was then yanking Harry back up on his feet and slamming him against the locker again, jerking Harry forward and backwards so that his back continuously collided with the locker.

"You had sex with her?" Stan spat, face turning red as he slammed Harry against the locker again. "You're going to fucking pay for this shit."

Stan ripped Harry from the lockers and easily tossed him on to the ground as if he weighed nothing. Harry tumbled over and ended up falling down on his side, sliding a few feet across the floor. Harry let out a groan once he was able to turn on his back, looking up at the ceiling and getting a few seconds to take some deep breaths.

This was probably one of the only times where Harry was starting to fear Stan. His heart was beating so fast in his chest that it felt as if it was ready to pop out of his body. He didn't know what to do or what to say to make Stan calm down. It seemed like all Stan's spite and anger was directed straight towards Harry, and Harry had absolutely no idea what he even did to have Stan react this way. 

Harry closed his eyes for a moment and tried convincing himself not to cry. His back was killing him and his head was throbbing, but last thing he wanted to do was look any more like an idiot than he already did. However, the minute Harry opened his eyes, he already saw Stan hovering over his body. Harry couldn't get a word out before Stan reared his fist back and collided it straight in to Harry's stomach, causing Harry to let out a weak cough.  

Harry's pained whine didn't stop Stan there. Stan ended up grabbing a fistful of Harry's hair to yank his body closer to his own face. Once there noses were merely touching, Stan growled, "You're going to wish you never came to this school." Stan pulled on Harry's head again to make his face angled up, but instead of simply letting his grip go, he balled his hand into a fist again and ended up punching Harry right on the side of his jaw.

"Better think twice before fucking someone else's girl."

Stan finally let Harry go and tossed him back on the ground. Harry landed on his back with a loud thump, soon turning into another groan when Stan kicked his leg out against Harry's ribs. Harry's weak whine echoed down the hallway as Stan turned the other way, walking back into the cafeteria to leave Harry all by himself on the ground.

Harry was heaving in deep breaths while clutching his side. He could feel droplets of blood rolling down his chin and landing on his shirt. His stomach and his ribs felt tight, and any time he moved or breathed too heavily, it sent a sharp pain across his body. It took minutes before Harry was finally able to pull himself into a sitting position, grimacing when another rush of pain washed across his body.

Harry looked around for a few minutes and blew air out his lips when he realized how empty the hallway was. There was nobody in sight nor any teacher to have witness what just happened, so he truly was suffering alone. Harry sighed as he reached his hand over to use the wall as a guide to help him stand. He could feel the muscles all over his body tightening up and beginning to throb from how much he was moving, but he knew he needed to get up off the floor.

When Harry was finally standing, leaning his body up against the wall to keep him from falling again, he closed his eyes and began controlling his breathing. Last thing he wanted to do was have a panic attack by not being able to control his breaths. However, his heart was beating faster than normal and there wasn't a spot on his body that didn't hurt. He was in pain, and he knew he needed to get out of this hallway so no one would see him.

Harry let out another deep breath before he was slowly bending down to grab his back and lunch that he had dropped. It was a struggle, trying to move without tweaking anything, but he did manage to grab the handles of his bag and lunch and loop it through his wrist. He then started to head down the hallway as quickly as he could, even with the limp in his step, to get to the bleachers without being seen by anybody. But even on his way over, he could hear the shakiness in his breath, feel the warm blood rolling down his chin, the tightness in his stomach, and the throbbing in his head, but he managed to make it outside. 

Harry walked up the steps to the bleachers and immediately took the first row. He didn't have any more energy in his body to do anything else but sit himself down. He didn't even bother unpacking his lunch, he simply tossed that and his bag on to the floor right by his feet. Instead, he hesitantly brought his fingers up to his jaw, feeling the swollen skin under his fingertips and the leftover blood that was beginning to dry up. He then lifted his shirt up to see the damage Stan had done, and he could see his skin splotted in red and the beginning signs of a bruise forming. 

That's when Harry finally felt those tears starting to run down his cheeks. Harry let out a bitter laugh and immediately covered his face to let himself cry into his hands. After the shit start to his day with all the gossip and stares, even with Louis being an asshole, the last thing Harry really needed was knowing that of all the girls he could've slept with, the one that he did was apparently with Stan.

Harry was embarrassed and in so much pain, but the main thing that upseted him the most was the fact that this school had brought him nothing but pain. Harry remembered how fun his life used to be at West Point, not ever feeling this low before. Reid may have been a shitty boyfriend, and Harry may have just found his friends are untrustworhty, but he was still at the top of his class. He would have never been treated like this at his old school. At least they were fake enough to make Harry's days better.

Harry never thought he would ever have to face being bullied, but realization dawned on him and well - Harry was actually being bullied at this school. It was a hard concept to grab considering the life he previously had before trasnferring, especially knowing that he was such a strong, kind hearted person, but facts are facts. Harry constantly got pushed around. Punched. Kicked. Tripped. Yelled at. Cussed at. All these were the signs of being bullied. 

Harry was broken out of his crying spiel when he heard the patter of shoes running up the steps to the bleachers. Harry hastily pulled his hand away from his face and looked up to see who the culprit was that was in such a rush. Harry didn't know who he was expecting, but he didn't think it would be Louis coming to visit. However, Louis _was_ standing there right in front of him, his wide, blue eyes scanning across Harry's face and his hands holding a packet of ice and some paper towels. 

Harry rolled his eyes. 

"What do you want?" He grumbled, cursing himself for sounding so broken and sad. But given the circumstance, he had a reason to be acting this way. He's never been punched, ever, and it quite honestly hurt.

"Stan did this to you," Louis recited slowly, his eyes staring carefully at the bruise on Harry's jaw. He slowly stepped closer to Harry, handing him a paper towel so he could wipe the blood of his face. Once Harry did so, Louis then placed the pack of ice gently on Harry's jaw, holding it there while Harry grimaced at the feeling.

"I didn't know he was going to do that," Louis admitted, his words soft and careful, but it didn't seem like those were the words Harry wanted to hear. Harry looked up at Louis and harden his glare, slapping Louis' hand off the ice so he could hold it himself. "I'm sorry," Louis added desperately. 

"Now you want to be nice to me?" Harry snapped, letting out a scoff and turning to look past Louis. "Since no one is around, now you chose to talk to me?"

Harry heard as Louis sighed, a sad sound that rung through Harry's ears. He tried to let the look of regret on Louis' face not affect him much, he was still rather angry about how Louis treated him just that morning, but then Louis was right in front of him. He crouched down to Harry's level on the bench and gently placed his hands on Harry's knees, rubbing Harry's jeans softly under his touch. Harry refused to let that send butterflies to his stomach, but well - he couldn't control absolutely everything in his body.

"I got nervous, okay?" Louis excused weakly, swallowing down the lump he felt growing in his throat. "I just freaked out and didn't want people thinking it was me. So being rude was my lame attempt to hide that," he continued, which made Harry's heart hurt. He didn't know what bothered him the most. The fact that Louis still refused the idea that he could possibly be gay, or the fact that Louis refused to let people know he actually slept with Harry. 

"And I mean it like - I'm-i'm _not_ gay," Louis added pathetically, scrunching his eyebrows together because even he knew that was quite contradicting. "To the people," he clarified. "It has nothing to do with you. You were great."

Harry blew air out his lips at the comment, closing his eyes and giggling under his breath. He really didn't mean to find humor in Louis' words, but something about Louis makes him laugh sometimes. Behind the rough, jock exterior, Louis really has a dorkier, softer interior that Harry has come to know. Because well - Louis just admitted Harry was great in bed, and even though this really wasn't the time or place for him to admit that, he did. And Harry found it kind of cute and funny at the same time.

"You were great as well," Harry admitted, opening his eyes and blinking at Louis in front of him, biting his lip for a second before letting out a big breath of air. "Way better than Taylor," he tried to ease, giving a weak smile, "I really had no idea her and Stan-"

"Hey," Louis interrupted softly, scooting closer to Harry. He moved his hands from Harry's knees to his thighs, gripping his leg underneath his hand. Harry looked down at their contact and felt his face heat up instantly. "I really am sorry," Louis apologized, making Harry look back at him. "Stan shouldn't have done that to you, they are not even together. Taylor literally broke up with him at the end of summer, he's just a prick."

"Where were you?" Harry then asked under his breath, dropping the ice pack from his jaw and setting it on the bench. He bit his lip as he hesitantly moved his hands on top of Louis, feeling Louis squeeze Harry's thigh a little tighter.

"I was at the lunch table with the rest of the team. We didn't even know where Stan was until he came back to tell us where he had been," Louis explained whilst staring into Harry's eyes. It was as if he was desperate to have Harry believe him - like he wanted Harry to believe that he had no idea nor intention to actually cause pain upon him. And well, Harry did believe him. Harry believed every word Louis said because he could simply see the look on Louis face that showed nothing but guilt and regret from what happened.

"What'd you do when you found out?" Harry asked hopefully, not entirely sure what he was wanting to hear in response.

"Kind of got mad," Louis admitted softly, blinking down at Harry's lip - or his jaw, Harry couldn't really tell. "I told him he was an idiot and could have gotten kicked off the team if he had been caught."

"Hm."

Harry wasn't entirely sure who inched closer first, but their faces were so close together that Harry could feel Louis' breath hit his cheek. Their hands were still touching on his thigh, and all Harry could currently focus on was Louis. Everything about him. Even the fact that Louis nudged his nose closer so that he could gently rub it along Harry's cheek.

"I don't regret that night," Louis then whispered, chewing on the inside of his mouth as he slowly pulled his face away. "It was amazing."

"I don't regret it either," Harry replied back without a thought.

He saw as Louis lips curved into a soft, gentle smile whilst still looking so deeply into Harry's eyes. Harry felt his own stomach swirling with a constant fluttering feeling, and he couldn't resist moving his hand to gently caress the side of Louis' jaw. Now, all Harry could think about was how close his and Louis' lips were, and if all he did was lean forward, they could kiss. 

"We never kissed," Harry blurted out, idly tracing his fingers along the lining of Louis' bottom lip.

He felt as Louis' lip moved to smile again, causing him to smile as well. Harry moved his hand back to cradling Louis' jaw as the two of them leaned closer to press their foreheads together.  "How unfortunate," Louis teased, licking his lips when he noticed Harry was back to staring at them.

"I really wanted to," Harry rambled on, breathing slowly, "I was drunk so I thought it was because of the alcohol, but I still want to even now-"

Louis shut Harry up by leaning in and closing the gap, gently pressing his lips against Harry's and holding it there, being careful enough not press against Harry's bruised jaw. Harry closed his eyes as he savored the way it felt to finally be kissed by Louis, knowing it reminded him much about summer time and butterflies. It sent a tiny thrill through his body, coursing straight to his heart and causing it to pick up speed. 

Louis was the first to slowly pull himself away, a little smack that indicated their lips were being pried apart. But, Harry kept his eyes closed after the kiss, willing himself not to believe that it was over. It was as if he could still feel the press of Louis' lips on his, and he knew opening his eyes meant the kissing was officially over, and Harry wasn't sure he was ready to settle with that. He could feel Louis moving in front of him until Louis' gentle hands were moving from Harry's thighs to his neck, tangling his fingers in Harry's curls.

That was when Harry refused to end the kiss so soon. He wanted more - craved more. That kiss was too gentle, and all Harry could think about was how it would feel like to be properly snogged by Louis. He wanted to know what it felt like to taste Louis on his tongue - where Louis' hands would roam as their lips chased each other, begging for more.

So, Harry gripped both sides of Louis' face and pulled him close to his. He held Louis in his place as he pressed his lips harshly against Louis' lips, kissing him with so much desperation as if Louis was his need to breathe. Harry dug his fingers into Louis' cheekbones as he felt Louis start to wedge his tongue between Harry's closed lips, causing him to let out a little gasp in which gave Louis the entrance that he needed.

Louis slid his tongue so smoothly inside Harry's mouth, letting his tongue roam all along the inside of his mouth until he found Harry's tongue eagerly licking him in. Harry let out a moan the minute he felt Louis' hands tracing the structure of his waist, moving to around his back and pulling him a little bit further off his seat. Harry fervently kissed back as he sucked on the flavor of Louis' tongue, moving his own hands around Louis' neck to keep him from going anywhere. 

They started to shift their bodies as they both kept pressing in for more. Louis sat himself down on the ground of the bleachers and ended up pulling Harry down on his lap. Harry easily went as he placed his knees on either side of Louis' hips, sitting perfectly down on Louis' lap with only a little whine escaping him from the jolt he felt coming from the bruises on the front of his body. However, this position made it easy for Harry to keep chasing Louis' lips for more kisses - made it easy for him to beg for more, so Harry could withstand the minor pain he felt when shifting to Louis' lap.

Harry's mind, body, and soul were doing things it had never done when kissing a boy. With Reid, the kisses were so bland, always intended more for sex and lust, nothing romantic about it that send shivers down Harry's spine. But with Louis, Harry could feel his own heartbeat in between his ears. He could feel his toes and fingers tingling with this extra desire to press even closer to Louis. He wanted to touch Louis everywhere. He wanted to kiss Louis everywhere. 

Harry wanted to feel the way he was currently feeling for the rest of his life.

"You know-" Louis interrupted breathlessly. He pulled his head away from Harry so he had the air to talk, but Harry easily moved his lips to the side of Louis' neck and decided to abuse the skin there. "That no one can know," he quickly finished, biting his lip and dropping his head back with a moan.

Louis shifted his hands underneath the back of Harry's shirt and pressed against his warm skin. He then trailed the tips of his fingers up and down Harry's spine before resting his hands right on the top of Harry's ass. Harry shivered at the contact, more than anything trying not to flinch when Louis touched his bruise there, so he covered it up by leaning in to press a soft kiss to Louis' lips.

"No one will know," Harry reassured, barely a mumble under his breath.

Louis gave him a smile as Harry started scratching the back of Louis' head lazily. He then moved one of his fingers to gently touch the cut on Harry's jaw, lightly running his fingers along the swollen skin. Harry closed his eyes at the touch and hummed, soon feeling Louis' lips back on his own.

They spent the rest of their lunch exactly like that. Bodies tangled together and lips pressing in for more bruising kisses. Harry didn't really know what this meant for his and Louis' relationship or if anything changed, but what they were doing was something Harry very much liked. It could have been the fact that no one was supposed to find out about them, that they were hiding out in the bleachers and kissing in secret.

Maybe it was the thrill of being caught. Harry really didn't know, but if whatever it was ended with him kissing Louis, then he would take whatever was given. 

The hour bell then rang much sooner than Harry expected, and he hastily pulled back from Louis with a groan. The two of them looked at one another before Harry was carefully stepping off from Louis' lap. He picked up his mess from the floor while Louis stood himself up. The two of them both walked side by side to the doors of the school.

Louis smiled as he opened the door and gestured Harry through first. Before they made it too far in the hallway where people could see them, Louis pulled Harry back quickly. He gently held on to the side of Harry's face and leaned in for one, last goodbye kiss. He then gave Harry his phone number as a last parting gift before he was quickly scurrying down the hallway to meet with his friends. 

Harry was smiling like a fool once he was left alone. He looked down at the number in his phone and giggled when reading that it was Louis' contact he now had. He placed the phone back in his pocket and started to head back to his locker to change his stuff for his books. It gave him time to rehash everything that just happened, images of the way Louis looked before and after they kissed.

But, it did make Harry start to question things - especially his relationship with Reid. Harry had never felt the way he did kissing Reid as he did with kissing Louis. Harry and Louis weren't even a couple, not even close to one, yet Harry felt more with Louis in the two days they've actually done stuff compared to Harry and Reid who were together for nearly two years.

It made Harry wonder, was it even real between him and Reid?

Harry got all the way to his locker in peace before he caught sight of Calvin and Oli lingering around. Harry rolled his eyes as he stopped right in front of the two of them. "What?" Harry questioned, crossing his arms over his chest and really not in the mood for anything else to happen to him.

"Damn, Styles," Oli teased, reaching his hand up to knick the cut on Harry's jaw. Harry grumbled as he jerked his head away, rolling his eyes when Oli started laughing. "Who' gave you this nice mark?"

Harry let out a huff as he tried to push past the two of them, but they were persistent in keeping from Harry passing. Harry stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest again when the two of them tried blocking him. He looked persistently at the both of them and impatiently tapped his foot on the ground to see what these bastards really wanted. 

"Actually," Calvin then smirked, obnoxiously getting into Harry's personal space and pinching his lips teasingly. "Who's dick did you suck to get lips like this?" He questioned with a laugh. "Couldn't keep that slutty mouth of yours cock free for long, huh?"

Louis and Stan had both rounded the corner just as Calvin made the comment. Louis froze in his spot as his eyes quickly found Harry's while Stan got this menacingly look on his face as he walked up to Calvin and Oli. Louis had a pleading look in his eyes as he glanced at Harry, nervously chewing on his bottom lip with an expression that screamed for Harry not to say anything.

"I d-didn't," Harry stuttered. He clenched his jaw right away when he realized how pathetic and unconvincing that sounded, but he got distracted long enough to not think of something proper to say. He could see Louis from his peripheral letting out a sigh and shaking his head, probably thinking how dumb Harry felt at the moment. 

"Bullshit," Stan then growled once he got close enough to get in Harry's face, again. "I think we have a cock sucking queen right here, don't ya think lads?"

Oli and Calvin started laughing as Louis hesitantly stepped behind him, doing whatever he could in trying to avoid any form of eye contact with Harry. Stan, on the other hand, reached his hands out and ended up pushing Harry back against the lockers rather harshly. Harry's back collided with the metal, yet again, and caused him to let out a painful cry.

"Okay, come on," Louis finally stepped in, a scowl on his face as he got in between Harry and Stan. He pressed a hand to Stan's chest and guided him to step back slowly. "You already got him enough today," Louis reminded. 

"Was it your dick he sucked?" Stan growled, sizing up to Louis and pressing himself close. He didn't mean it as any accusation, clearly just trying to take the piss out of Louis in getting some sort of reaction.

"Stan, shut the fuck up," Louis finally snapped, raising his voice and pushing Stan further back from Harry. "I'm not a fucking _queer_ like him, okay? I said you already got him today, and you don't need the risk of getting caught. Don't be a dumbass."

Harry frowned as he looked past Louis to see Stan. He hated that Louis had to stoop so low in tossing out that homophobic word, but in the end, Stan did back away. Stan nodded his head with a roll of his eyes and turned around to disappear down the hallway. Oli and Calvin both looked at Louis before they were heading out as well. 

Louis sighed once they disappeared and finally felt his shoulders relax. He turned around and watched as Harry was slowly picking himself up from the lockers. Louis frowned when he noticed the hurt look on Harry's face, he knew part of what he said wouldn't sit well with Harry, but he _did_ try his best.

"I'm sorry," Louis cried out when Harry continued to stare and not say anything. The silence was driving him mad, and Louis really just needed Harry to say something, anything.

"It's fine," Harry swallowed, trying to sound convincing. He wiped his forehead and blinked his eyes rapidly to keep from any tears from showing. "Thank you for getting them to leave me alone. See you tomorrow," he quickly finished as he rushed past Louis and disappeared down the opposite hallway from the one the other three lads went down.

Harry didn't look back towards Louis at all as he left him standing there in the hallway. It was then when he was finally alone a couple of hallways over that he could let out a big breath and rest his back against a wall. Harry didn't understand Louis at times, and this was one of those moments that left Harry more confused about Louis than ever. 

Harry understood that Louis wasn't particularly out of the closet or accepting of his sexuality. He understood that Louis didn't want people to know they had sex and kissed, but what he didn't understand was why Louis kept playing the bad boy. He didn't understand why Louis continued to be rude and become an asshole whenever they were around his friends.

Maybe, Harry expected too much of a change.

He figured since him and Louis had been together and had kissed that Louis would ease up on him and actually be friendly towards him in public. Harry thought that Louis would also prevent his friends from further harassing Harry and inflicting more pain on him. But, maybe Harry just expected what happened between the two of them to be more than it actually was.

 

**//**

 

Louis' hands were tracing every inch of Harry's chest, fingers finding their way to his hips before moving to caress his back. The shirt Harry was wearing was hiked up all the way to his breast bone, keeping his stomach completely exposed to allow Louis' hands to trace every inch of his bare skin. 

Louis' lips trailed hot kissed down the side of Harry's neck before he was wrapping his mouth around Harry's collarbone. His fingers then dug deep into the crater of Harry's back before he was pulling Harry up and dragging Harry on to his lap. Harry whimpered when he felt the first press of Louis' teeth gently grazing over his heated skin. His legs wrapped tightly around Louis' waist to clench him closer to his body while digging his fingernails into Louis' neck, begging for more. 

"Come on," Harry moaned, shaking Louis' shoulders as felt a bruise being sucked right on to his shoulder.

Harry could feel the corners of Louis' mouth tilting up from where they were pressed to his skin. Harry grumbled under his breath as Louis continued to press slow and lazy kisses all along his neck, forgoing Harry's lips and anything further than kissing. Harry huffed some more and pulled himself back from Louis. Louis smirked as he watched Harry lean back, but then Harry's hands were shoving Louis' shoulders down until Louis fell back on the mattress.

"Eager much?" Louis teased, resting on his elbows as he watched Harry with hungry eyes.

Harry rolled his eyes as he got up on his knees to pull his shirt over his head. He then hopped off the mattress and unbuttoned his pants before completely taking everything off his body. Harry climbed back on the bed and sat on the lower half of Louis' thighs, reaching forward and playing with the waistband of Louis' shorts. 

"I am horny, and you're going too slow," Harry complained, already dragging Louis' shorts down his legs and letting Louis' hardening cock spring freely. Harry licked his lips as he stared down at it, hungrily and desperately waiting for something to happen.

"Then you do the work," Louis argued back. Harry snapped his head up with a frown as he watched with an annoyed expression. Louis smirked while he rested his arms behind his head and spread his legs out a little, looking down at his groin before back at Harry. "I don't mind enjoying a ride."

Harry let out a breathy laugh as he ignored Louis' comment and pulled the rest of Louis' pants off instead. Harry then blinked his eyes up at Louis while he bent his body so that his lips were hovering right above the tip of Louis' dick. Louis raised his eyebrow as he watched Harry slowly wrap his lips around him, Harry's hand gently going around the base of Louis' length and moving his hands up and down. 

Louis let Harry tease him for about a few seconds before he grew impatient and took matters into his own hands. He waited until Harry sunk his mouth just a few inches more before he was snapping his hips up and completely choking Harry. Harry spluttered out some spit as Louis' cock made its way further in his mouth, but Harry was keen on keeping him there and not popping off to catch his breath. 

Harry dragged his lips up and down Louis' shaft and rubbed his hand along the parts his lips weren't covering. The dimples in his cheek were popping out as he continued to hollow them out to have Louis go deeper inside his mouth. His green eyes began watering up the minute Louis' cock reached the back of his throat, and when he blinked up at Louis, he could see Louis closing his eyes and biting his bottom lip. 

Louis ended up gripping the back of Harry's head to hold him in place as he started thrusting his hips up. He worked himself in Harry's mouth while his free hand reached over to grab the bottle of lube next to his body. He then tossed the bottle over at Harry, hinting that Harry needed to start prepping himself. It was a weird and difficult task for Harry to do, especially with a cock in his mouth, but with his free hand not occupied by Louis' dick, he managed to get three fingers inside himself.

The one thing about having sex with Louis is that Harry didn't really understand why he had to stretch himself. He didn't get why Louis didn't want to. At least when Reid and Harry had sex, Reid had the decency to stretch him out before fucking him. But, for some reason, Louis wouldn't do so. He made Harry do the prepping to himself before they actually started having sex. It was weird, and it was something that bothered Harry. 

Louis pulled Harry off by the grip he had in his hair when he noticed Harry was no longer fingering himself open. He gave Harry a look and waited for the confirmation that he needed before he was reaching to grab a condom. Harry breathed out heavily as he moved to sit himself down in Louis' lap. He wrapped his legs around Louis' waist and buried his fingers deep into his thin strands of hair.

Harry leaned in quickly to get a quick kiss from Louis before he rose up on his knees and reached behind him. Harry got a firm grip on to Louis' dick and eagerly guided him straight towards the opening of his ass. When the two of them felt the first push of Louis entering Harry, they both dropped their heads back with a loud moan.

Harry slowly but surely let himself sink down on Louis, letting Louis' cock drag up against every muscle inside his ass. He sat firmly down on Louis' lap and wiggled his hips around to get to the angle and position he liked, biting his lip when he felt Louis nudge up against his spot. Louis then gripped the sides of Harry's hips and leaned up to start kissing his lips, the same time Harry started to rise and fall on his knees, letting Louis' cock pump in and out of him in that sweet, slow drag.

Louis indulged Harry in a few seconds of kissing before he pulled himself back and leaned down on his pillow. He rested his arms underneath his head again and made a show of watching Harry do the work. Harry rolled his eyes and let out a huff at Louis' arrogance, but he continued to bounce at a faster pace than he originally started. 

The feeling Harry had was euphoric as he slowed himself to really enjoy the drag. He moved his hips forward and backward before he slowly rose back up. His hands pressed on to Louis' chest that had him bending at a new angle, and in this position, it had Louis' cock pressing right up against his prostate. Harry let out a weak plea when the burn in his thighs started to take over and slow his movements down, not being able to hit his spot as much as he wanted to.

Louis must have sensed Harry's distress and his over-emotional state because he then gripped Harry's hips again and started to thrust upwards. Harry cried out loudly at the sudden intrusion, placing his hands behind him on Louis' knees and resting there as he let Louis fuck up into him. His body started to drip with sweat causing his hair stick to his face. The room was filled with the sound of the creaking bed and the slickness of their bodies being connected.

Harry came with a cry when Louis slowed his thruts to have his hips roll up into Harry, only then to snap his hips quicker and faster, making Harry choke on his own breath. Louis was quick to follow as he watched Harry's face and felt him clenching around his dick. The movement and the sight were enough to fuel him into his own orgasm into the condom. 

The two of them sat there as they tried to come down from their high and slow their breathing down. When Louis was soft enough and not as sensitive, Harry rolled himself off his lap and fell on his back right next to Louis. The two of them rested their heads on the pillow and turned towards each other, breathing heavily and staring at one another with sated looks on their faces.

"You were amazing," Louis smiled gently, reaching his hand up to move some strands of hair off Harry's sweaty forehead.

Harry closed his eyes for a moment and let himself enjoy the feel of Louis' fingers touching his head. He reopened his eyes when he felt Louis' fingers dancing down the lining of his jaw before resting comfortably around his ear. "I'm so tired," Harry admitted with a giggle, biting his bottom lip when he saw Louis crack a smile.

"You should be," Louis teased, running his finger along Harry's lip and pulling it away from his teeth. "You did all the work."

Harry rolled his eyes as he let out a small laugh. He reached his arm over the edge of the bed and pulled his sleep shirt off the ground. He wiped off his belly and then Louis' before he was tossing it back on the ground and standing up on his feet. He reached over to grab his pajama bottoms he had left on his nightstand that morning and shimmied them up his legs.

"My mum should be home soon," Harry reminded slowly, not really thinking as he asked, "Do you want to stay for dinner?" 

Louis shot up out of the bed real quick and immediately grimaced. "No," he growled a lot angrier than Harry had anticipated, "I'm leaving."

Harry twisted his lips to the side as he watched Louis scurry around the room to dress himself up. It was the same continuous cycle for the past few weeks after they accidentally stumbled their way into Harry's bedroom one day after school. It happened about two weeks ago after they had yet another argument, this time involving the project they needed to work on for music, but it somehow ended with the two of them under Harry's covers. 

But, after the first time they had sex, they ended creating this system to meet at Harry's house after Louis' football practices to have some sort of sexual meetup. Or if it's on days when Louis has off, they'll use the excuse to work on their music project, something they have not actually done, just to end up running off to Harry's room.

It was always something that lead to sex, but then right when they finished, Louis would always scurry out Harry's window just about the time Robin or Anne got home. It was something Harry had gotten used to, but just like everything else with Louis, he was always thinking too much about it. Like for starters, Harry didn't understand why Louis was always in a rush to leave. Even now after the dumb slip up Harry had asked him, Louis was always persistent in leaving and not meeting any one of Harry's parents. 

Harry sighed as he sat himself down on the edge of the bed to watch Louis pull on his last article of clothing. He didn't realize he was pouting until Louis looked over at him and tilted his head. Louis then walked up to Harry and put himself in between his legs, pressing his hand along Harry's jaw and angling his head up.

"See you tomorrow?" Louis asked softly, leaning down to kiss the top of Harry's forehead.

"Yeah, sure," Harry nodded his head, using that as a way to jerk away from Louis' kiss.

Louis left with a smile out of Harry's window the same time he heard Anne walking into the house. When Harry was finally left alone in his room, he grabbed a pillow and shoved it over his face. He fell back on the matress and let out a frustrated scream that was muffled by the cushion. After Harry felt just the tiniest bit better, he chunked the pillow across his room and ran his hands down the length of his face.

In all honesty, Harry had no idea what was going on with this thing between him and Louis. He didn't know if there were strings or no strings attached. He didn't know how long he and Louis were going to keep sleeping around each other or if they were even close to being exclusive. Harry felt clueless. It was just a one-time hookup post their drunk night that ended up being an occurring thing.

Louis was sweet and gentle to Harry, probably the nicest whenever they were alone. It was Harry's favorite Louis that he liked to be around, the one that liked to touch him softly and kiss him every second they could. But then there was the Louis that acted like a jerk whenever they were in school and in the presence of the football team. That was the Louis that lingered in the back of the crowd while he let his friends harass Harry like he meant nothing.

Harry tried not to let it bother him too much considering Louis did treat Harry properly whenever they're alone. And Louis does end up apologizing to Harry after every incident his friends inflict upon Harry. He would press kisses all over Harry's face just to make him smile and touches Harry in all his soft areas just to get him to giggle, so often enough Harry could push the bad stuff to the side.

Harry would like to think the both of them are in a relationship, considering kissing is a common thing between them whenever they're alone, sometimes even holding hands, but the reality said that their relationship was pure physical. And, it was not like Harry really wanted to be in a relationship anyway. He had just gotten out of one with Reid not that long ago, but for some reason, the idea of Louis being his boyfriend made his body feel all warm and tingly inside.

Louis really was a goofy and a silly mess whenever he and Harry found the time to talk. Yeah, Louis was attractive and he knew how to please Harry in bed, but Louis also had a smile that could make even the darkest days seem bright. He had a laugh that sent symphonies to Harry's ears, and sometimes if Harry just simply saw Louis standing in the same hallway as him, he found himself smiling.

So, maybe, Harry grew a small crush for Louis since the first time they had sex, and these constant hookups they've been having really haven't put a stump to his growing fondness for the boy.

Harry heard his mother calling his name from downstairs that had him getting up off the bed. He walked over to his dresser to pull a shirt over his naked torso before he was walking over to his body mirror to take a look at his features. He didn't look so bad, Harry thought, as he leaned closer to look at his reflection.

Sure, he looked like he just had sex, but he also looked like he took a long ass nap. He had a pink tint to his cheeks and his eyes sated and tired. His hair was a complete mess on top of his head and his lips looking bitten and red. He could see a love bite on the juncture of his neck and shoulder that he noted he needed to hide, but other than that, all he needed to do was splash water on his face and be on his merry little way.

 "Hey, mum," Harry greeted when he walked into the kitchen, smiling as he noticed her putting some sort of meal into the oven.

"Hey, sweetie." she walked over to Harry and gave him a hug once she was free from holding anything. The two of them then sat down at the table across from each other as she poured herself a glass of water. "How was school?"

"It was alright," Harry muttered under his breath, not really wanting to explain the harassment that he endured on a daily basis.

He kept the minor detail of Stan pushing him down again out of his response, and the fact that he got called a fag again. He also wasn't so keen on mentioning that he spent the better part of his afternoon watching Louis' sweaty body running around during practice before dragging him back to their house to have Louis fuck him.

Stuff like that Anne really didn't need to know.

"Hm," she looked up at him, taking a slow sip of water. "Make any friends yet?"

Harry snorted as he fell back in his seat, "Yeah, I have a few," 

"And will I be meeting them soon?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders, biting his lip as he blinked out the window that was right above the kitchen sink, "I don't see why not."

"What about the one that sneaks out our house?" 

Harry's eyes widen right away as he felt his arm falling down and hitting the edge of the table. He ended up choking on nothing but his own spit, turning to look at Anne as if she had two heads.

"I am not stupid young boy," Anne laughed, clearly more amused than she was mad. "I hear the feet on my roof and see a boy running in my backyard." Harry's face flushed right away, and he ducked his head down to keep from his mother from finding something else to laugh about. Anne softened her laugh to a smile and reached across to hold Harry's wrist. "I know you told me that you and Reid broke up. Is he a rebound?" 

Harry then shot his head up right away and began shaking his head rapidly, "No. No, it definitely isn't like that. We are just friends. I think."

"Is that a love bite?" Anne pointed out with a giggle, obnoxiously leaning across the table and going to poke at it with her free hand.

"Mum!" Harry shrieked horrifically. He slapped his mother's hand away and went to cover the spot up right away as he heard his mother continue to giggle.

"Hey, I notice things," Anne smirked, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly, "I just want you to be careful, okay? Friends with benefits never-"

"Mum!" Harry groaned again, burying his face in his hands, "We aren't doing that. I said we are _just_ friends," he argued as he tossed his hands back on the table top. "I promise. I just broke up with Reid, not looking for anything right now."

"Friends don't give friends love bites, son," she added with a coy smirk.

"It was an accident, okay?" Harry whined pathetically. "We aren't - we are not like that. His friends hate me, and we barely talk in school."

"Really?" She questioned.

Harry nodded his head as he let out a loud sigh, "Yeah. We only have music and lunch together," he admitted with a grumble. "Other than that he doesn't really talk to me. We have mutual friends in music so that's about it."

"Do you like him?" Anne had to ask, perking up in her chair and wiggling her eyebrows at Harry.

"I mean, I don't know," Harry stumbled, trying everything in his will power to not give too much detail to his mother. This was awkward, and the conversation he was having was probably one of the last things he wanted to be having. "He's attractive, but that's about it," Harry ended with a shrug.

Their conversation ended when Robin had came home from work. He walked into the kitchen and went to greet Anne with a soft kiss to her forehead. He then walked over to Harry and ruffled his hair before Harry was standing himself up and excusing himself to the living room.

Harry plopped down on the couch and tossed his feet up on the coffee table out in front of him. He lazily turned the television on and decided to watch a show until dinner was ready. He had his phone placed on the cushion next to him from where he left it earlier when he first got home from school, so he reached over to grab it to see if anyone had messaged him. 

Surprisingly, he had one from Reid, making his skin crawl as he read the message in his head,  _Ready to face the truth that you can't be nobody without me? Waiting for your sorry ass to crawl back to the best thing that ever happened to you._

Harry rolled his eyes as he switched from his message with Reid to his group message with his cheerleader friends. It was only then he realized that the last time they even sent a message in that group message was on Harry's first day of his new school. Otherwise, there had been nothing since. And in all honesty, Harry hadn't really received a message at all from Cara since he texted her about Taylor.

Harry was curious to know if all of them knew anything about Nadine. He wondered if any of them even knew that Harry and Reid broke up because none of them even thought to call or text Harry to see if he was okay. So, Harry took matters into his own hands and decided to text Cara himself. 

 _Did you heard about Reid and Nadine?_ Is what he asked. 

Harry waited for about half an hour to receive a message in return, but nothing was sent. Harry frowned as he quickly went on social media to see if Cara was out or on her phone. He saw that she had directly tweeted both Kendall and Gigi on her twitter about ten minutes ago, so Harry knew that she must have seen the message. 

Harry had no idea what was going on and why everyone was suddenly ignoring him. He had no clue what he did for his friends to forget that they were actually his friend. Reid had cheated on Harry with Nadine, and Harry had no idea how long that had been going on. Cara, Kendall, and Gigi haven't asked at all about the breakup or about the cheating scandal, so they were either ignoring it or choosing Nadine's side in the matter. 

Harry's quiet time was ruined when Robin stuck his head out of the kitchen to signal that dinner was ready. Harry left his phone on the couch and joined his mum and Robin at the dinner table with their plates filled with lasagna. 

"Harry mentioned he made friends," Anne blurted out about halfway through their silent and peaceful dinner. Harry dropped his fork on his plate and turned towards his mom, tilting his head to the side with a frown as Anne gave him a weak smile.

"Nice," Robin nodded his head. "You should invite them over. We would like to meet them."

Harry shrugged his shoulders as he looked over at his mom to see her reaction to the suggestion. Of course, she was ecstatic at the thought of Harry inviting his friends over, has always loved playing host. Harry shook his head fondly and answered with a smile, "I can invite them this weekend. Have a pool day and maybe barbecue some stuff on the new grill you just got."

"Yeah, invite them all boy," Robin suggested. 

"Yes, even the one that is _just a friend_ ," Anne had to add quickly, causing Harry to glare over in her direction. She simply sipped on her glass of wine and turned towards Robin to distract herself in a conversation. Harry rolled his eyes and started giggling under his breath, stabbing at his food as he continued to eat. 

So, well - Harry supposed that Louis was about to meet Harry's family anyways. 

 

//


	4. Chapter 4

Harry walked through the hallway with ease as he made his way to his locker. It was just a few minutes before the start of the first class hour, and people were already clearing out. Harry had made it to school with just enough time for him to switch his bags for books and head straight to class. He grabbed out what he needed and closed the locker door once he was settled, turning around to hurrily made his way to class, but instead he was trapped when he noticed Stan, Oli and Calvin were standing right there.

"What?" Harry sighed, clearly not in the mood as he stuffed his books underneath his arm.

None of them gave an answer or made any hint at moving, so Harry let out a huff and attempted to walk past them. Except, the minute Harry passed their bodies and thought he was in the clear, he suddenly felt two rough hands slaming into his back, causing him to fall forward. However, instead of falling down flat on his face like Harry intended, he suddenly felt himself crashing into someone's body.

Two hands gripped on to Harry's waist and kept him from face planting the ground. Harry immediately grabbed on to the shirt of the person he fell in to and thanked the gods above him for someone being there to save him. He had hoped it would be Louis, but even he knew not to get his hopes up. When Harry looked up to see who the culprit was in saving him, he saw Nick standing there with a scowl on his face. He helped Harry stand up on his feet and then protectively moved Harry behind his body. He then stepped forward and sized himself up to Stan.

"I take it you don't want your ass kicked today would you?" he threatened lowly.

Stan crossed his arms over his chest and exchanged a rather unamused look with Oli and Calvin. "Fucking Grimshaw," was all he said before him and his little crew were following him down the opposite hallway.

The minute the two of them were finally left alone, Harry couldn't help himself but to pull Nick into his arms. He hugged Nick tightly and breathed into the side of his neck, letting himself calm down and relax to the feeling of friendly hands caressing his body. Harry's heart was rapidly beating in his chest at thought of falling down on his knees again, possibly landing on his face, but having Nick save him from an incident really just made his emotions go through the fucking roof.

"I swear, I'll fucking beat the shit out of them if they keep hurting you," Nick grumbled, tightening his arms where they were pressed around Harry's back.

And something about that made Harry feel relieved, causing him to let out a breathy laugh.

For the past weeks, Harry really never had anyone to stand up for him or stop Stan from harassing him. Not even Louis who claimed to try his best, but he never put in to action with what his words were telling Harry. At least Nick was willing to stand up for Harry without caring what anyone thought, and even standing there in the hallway as they hugged without worrying of the comments that could be thrown their way was kind of a nice change from Louis.

Maybe Nick wasn't so bad.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled with another laugh, stepping back from Nick and running his fingers through his fringe. "I honestly thought I was about to bruise my knees again. Or maybe hit my face, I don't know."

"Don't apologize, babe," Nick shrugged. He offered Harry a smile and reached to grab the books from his hand so he could carry them for Harry. Then with his free arm, he wrapped it around Harry's waist and started guiding them down the hallway to Harry's first class.

Harry bit his lip and immediately blushed at the affection, twisting his fingers in front of his body so he didn't show too much emotion on his face. Harry missed having someone's hand to hold or an arm to be under while walking the hallways of the school, so he really did find himself feeling comfortable with Nick's arm around him.

They started heading towards Harry's class when Harry ended up spotting Louis down at the end of the hallway. They made brief eye contact where Harry gave Louis a small, secretive smile, but Louis didn't return the smile. Instead, his eyes were hardening in Harry's direction and lips curved down in a frown. Harry noticed that Louis looked angry, and that his hands were balled up in fist by his side. Harry didn't get to look much longer before Louis turned around and stormed the other way.

Weird, Harry thought.

Nick had walked Harry all the way to the door to his music classroom whilst keeping his arm around Harry. It was one of the first times where Harry didn't mind how touchy Nick was being. In fact, he truly felt safer under Nick's arms. When they reached the music door, Nick reluctantly pulled himself away and handed Harry back his books.

"So, I'll see you later?" Nick questioned nervously, scratching the back of his neck and toeing the tip of his shoe along the ground.

Harry didn't think much when he offered Nick a smile, mumbling out a, "Yeah, sure," before leaving Nick with a hug.

When Harry got to class, not much excitement ended up happening. Mr. Reeds allowed the students to have a workshop day for the partner poems, and Harry was looking forward to actually spend time with Louis and talk to him. Although, Harry's excitement was stumped when Louis completely ignored him the entire class hour. Again. He remained on his phone for the good half of the class or busied himself with talking to the other three lads or writing nonsense on a piece of paper.

Every time Harry tried to say a word to him or nudge him to pay attention, Louis would shrug him off and completely ignore him. Harry tried not to let it bother him much, but he didn't really know what he did for Louis to be acting so cold towards him. Yeah, they were in school so their relationship was kind of off-limits, but Louis could at least show some sort of civilness when it was in terms of their school grade.

As the end of the hour bell finally rang, Louis was the first one out of his seat to rush out the door. Harry sighed as he gathered his stuff and walked out with Niall, Liam, and Zayn, all watching Louis' retreating figure as if he was strange. Harry could relate to that feeling.

"Weird," Niall muttered, "Someone was in a rush."

Harry raised his eyebrows and decided to not make any comment, whereas Zayn mumbled something under his breath that caused Liam to smack his shoulder. Harry smiled at the two of them before he was addressing them all, "Hey, so my parents are barbecuing this weekend if you lot would like to come?" Harry asked, following up with an embarrassed laugh. "She wants to meet my new friends."

"Will there be food?" Niall was the first to ask.

Liam snorted as he slapped the back of Niall's head, "Yes, you dummy. He said barbecue."

"Then I'll be there," Niall cheered loudly, grabbing the sides of Harry's face and planting a slobbery kiss to his cheek. "I'll see you guys later."

Harry grimaced as he made a scene of wiping the kiss off his face. Niall gave him two thumbs up before he was turning down a different hallway to head to his class. Harry laughed at his retreating figure before he turned to Liam and Zayn to see what they had to say.

"I think it would be fun, Haz," Zayn smiled.

"Yeah, count us there," Liam agreed.

"Cool," Harry breathed out, slightly afraid that they would say no, but they didn't, and that made him feel better. "Think Louis would go?" he then asked the two of them, stopping at the intersection of another hallway before he had to turn down it.

"He will come," Zayn nodded his head, giving Liam a smirk before he was linking their fingers together. "Trust me," he added, acting as if he knew something that Harry didn't. Harry ignored it nonetheless and left with a smile on his face because he was actually having Louis come over for a hang out rather than just sex.

By the time lunch arrived, and Harry had properly avoided the football team while Louis properly avoided him, Harry had realized he forgot to pack his lunch for the day. He cursed himself as he stood at his locker contemplating on what he should do. He woke up late and only had a granola bar for breakfast, so he did not enough food to last him until he got home.

So, all in all, Harry knew he needed to go to the cafeteria to put something in his belly. Harry slowly made his way towards the cafeteria, on full alert and cautious to make sure he didn't run into anyone. By the time he made it safely inside, he looked around to see all the students that filled the tables. He saw Liam, Zayn, and Niall at the far end sitting with a bunch of their friends. He then saw Louis and his teammates at a few tables over from the other guys. All the cheerleaders were right next to Louis' table interacting with one another and making the biggest ruckus in the cafeteria.

Harry gave himself a few seconds to breathe before he took a step forward to head towards the food line. It was about the same time Louis looked up from his seat and made unexpected eye contact with Harry. Harry froze right away as their eyes remained locked on one another, seemingly forgetting the whole world around them as they stared at each other.

Then, someone walked in front of Harry to block his view of Louis. Harry shook his head immediately and looked up to see who it was. He smiled when he realized it was Nick, at least a friendly face.

"Hey, Nick."

"Hey, sorry," Nick apologized quickly, a week smile on his face as he stumbled over his words. "I was just passing, and I saw that you looked kind of lost."

"I was honestly looking at how many people we had here," Harry admitted, letting his eyes travel past Nick to catch another glimpse at Louis. He frowned right away when he saw Louis walking over towards the cheerleader's table. He bit his lip and quickly looked back up to Nick, trying to not let Louis affect his mood right now. "I was about to get some food so-"

"Yeah, sorry," Nick grumbled, "I'll see you later."

Harry gave Nick a quick hug before the two of them were parting ways. Nick left the cafe while Harry walked forward to actually get in line for food, but he paused right away when he saw Louis sitting on top of a lunch table and pulling Eleanor in between his legs.

Harry frowned as he watched the way Louis gripped on to her hips and yanked her closer. Louis then leaned himself forward until his lips caught on to Eleanors and began kissing her as if they weren't in the middle of the lunch room. Harry's eyebrows scrunched up right away as he stared at the two of them, wishing he could send daggers straight to where Louis' hands were running up and down her back.

Harry was ready to leave the cafeteria and wash his eyes out with water when suddenly, Louis opened his own eyes in the middle of the kiss. Harry twisted his lips to the side and scowled some more as Louis looked straight at him, not missing a beat in moving his lips with Eleanor's. Harry rolled his eyes and turned away when Louis finally pulled back with a smirk.

Something inside of Harry made him want to punch a wall, but also kind of made him want to cry. He didn't know if he was jealous or not, maybe angry that Louis would blatantly kiss a girl in front of him in hopes to hurt him. But, Harry was furious. He didn't want anyone else kissing Louis besides him, especially not Eleanor Fucking Calder.

Harry hurriedly tried to make his way to the lunch line to grab his food and get the hell out of there. He already witnessed so much within half an hour that he knew he couldn't handle much more. But, luck never seemed to be on his side, because on the angry walk over to the line, he accidentally bumped into another person.

And that person happened to be Taylor, of all people.

"What the fuck?" Taylor squealed, backing up as if she had been burned, but Harry quickly made eye contact with Louis again and thought to himself that two can play this game.

Harry gripped on to Taylor's hips and yanked her up against his chest. He leaned down on instant and pressed his lips harshly up against hers, making her let out a weak moan that Harry took advantage of to wedge his tongue between her lips. Harry kept pressing and pressing his lips against hers for as long as he could, trying to make this kiss worth it knowing very well that Louis was sitting there watching him.

Harry finally pulled back hastily and ripped his hands away from her body. He wiped his lips with the back of his hands before staring straight into her wide, blue eyes. "Before you start talking shit about the way someone is in bed, you should really consider how well you did first before putting the blame on someone else."

Harry pushed past her right away and ignored all the whispers he heard swarming around the cafeteria. He tried to get out of there as fast as he could so he wouldn't get caught with Stan attacking his ass. The last thing he needed right now was to be be caught in a fight that was fueled by some jealous rage. Harry already dealt with that, thank you very much.

When Harry found himself in the hallway completely alone, he pushed his back up against one of the lockers and closed his eyes. He let himself take a couple of slow, steady breaths to relax, but he had no idea why he felt so hot and angry. All of this just because Louis wanted to make a show of kissing a girl. What did Harry even gain from kissing Taylor? Did Louis even care?

Of all things, Harry didn't even get to see Louis' reaction to tell if he was just as jealous as Harry was.

Harry opened his eyes and let out a sigh once he felt relatively calmed down. He was just about to leave to go somewhere other than there when he noticed Louis walking straight towards him. His eyes were scrunched in anger and his bottom lip curled in disgust. He grabbed on to Harry's arm and yanked him forward as he continued down the hallway.

"What the fuck?" Harry asked annoyed, trying to pry Louis' hand off of him, but he had a strong grip, seemingly not wanting to let Harry go. He ended up taking Harry to a back stair case and shoved him inside, and before Harry had any chance to question his motives, Louis was pushing him straight into the wall.

Harry let out a gasp as Louis' hands ran down the sides of his body before he was groping Harry's ass and leaning forward for a kiss. Harry's body instantly relaxed the minute their lips pressed together, sighing in content as he wrapped his arms around Louis' neck and pulled him in close to his body.

Louis then moved his hands from Harry's ass to the back of his thighs. He dug his fingers deep into Harry's flesh and used all his strength to lift Harry up. Harry squealed as his weight was pushed against the wall and his legs wrapping unconsciously around Louis' waist. Louis leaned forward and pressed quick kisses all over Harry's mouth before he was moving his lips to the side of his neck and sucking on the sensitive skin there.

Harry dropped his head back against the wall and let out a loud moan that he tried quieting with a bite to his lip. He gripped tightly on to Louis' shoulders to keep himself grounded as Louis trailed his lips back up to Harry's. Louis wedged his tongue into the opening of Harry's mouth and licked his way inside, clashing his own tongue against Harry's before finishing off with a gentle, much softer kiss.

Louis pulled back and helped Harry back on his feet. He took a step back and watched as Harry slumped himself up against the wall, breathing heavily and trying to blink his eyesight back to normal.

"That's how you kiss to prove a point," Louis grumbled, eyebrows scrunched in anger. He was ready to turn and leave the stair case, but Harry immediately grabbed on to his arm and held him there.

He trapped Louis in his spot by wrapping his arms around his waist, pulling him forward until their groins were pressing up against each other. "What the hell is your problem today?" Harry asked. "We were fine yesterday," he then reminded, considering Louis came over after practice. It was probably one of their better meet ups that didn't involve any arguing.

"Nothing is wrong, Harry," Louis replied short.

"You ignored me all day," Harry complained, frowning as he pressed himself even closer to Louis, their chest now touching. "And then you made out with Eleanor on purpose in front of me."

Louis scoffed nervously and shook his head, "No, I didn't," he sung out, looking anywhere but at Harry's eyes.

"I am not stupid, Louis," Harry grumbled at him.

Louis rolled his eyes and pulled himself completely out of Harry's hold, making Harry frown when his arms fell down to his sides. He then looked over at Harry with a scowl, biting his lip as he looked to be thinking about what he was going to say. Harry sighed right away.

"Look, Harry. I know we have sex, but just know that I am not tied down to you, okay?" Louis then had to remind so coldly, making Harry's heart break just a little bit. "Eleanor was there long before you were."

Harry sucked on the inside of his cheek and blinked his eyes away from Louis, feeling dumb tears start to rise in the corner of his eyes. He didn't know why those words hurt him so much. That much he knew about their relationship, having no strings, but to hear it spoken to him so harshly didn't make it any better.

"I know that, okay?" Harry snapped, looking back at Louis with a frown. "And since you are not tied down to me, and I'm not tied down to you, then Nick and I shouldn't be a problem to you. Am I right?" Harry added slowly, remembering just that morning how angry Louis looked at seeing him and Nick together. Maybe that was Harry's loop hole.

"Right," Louis gulped, looking down at the ground and avoiding Harry's eyes. "Do whatever you want."

"Fine," Harry agreed stubbornly, "I will."

Louis then snorted as he finally looked back at Harry. He squinted his eyes as he carefully watched Harry's features before he was pushing Harry up against the wall again. "What? Are you going to date Grimshaw now?"

"Who knows," Harry shrugged his shoulders, biting his lip and smiling when he saw just the mere ounce of jealously on Louis' face. But it was gone almost as soon as it appeared, and Harry was back to being disappointed.

"Whatever," Louis broke as he dropped his hands from Harry's shoulders. He stepped back from him again, but this time he wasn't turning to escape.

"So," Harry began weakly, clapping his hands in front of his body and blowing air out his lips, " _Uh_ \- I invited the lads over this weekend for lunch if you want to come. My mum wants to meet you all."

Louis raised an eyebrow and laughed, "Wants to meet me, huh?"

Harry giggled as he tilted his head to the side. He walked back up to Louis and rested one hand on the side of his face while the other went around his neck. "She knows I have been sneaking some boy around so, yeah."

"Some boy," Louis whispered to himself, smiling for a split second before he was backing away with a frown, "Yeah, I'll see if I can. If everyone else is then, yeah, maybe."

Harry smiled right away and bounced over to press a kiss to the side of Louis' face. Louis blushed, shaking his head and leaving with a playful slap to Harry's ass. Harry giggled when he was left alone, already excited about having Louis over at his house. He honestly couldn't wait.

 

//

 

The week went by much faster for Harry when he actually had plans to look forward to on the weekend. It was Saturday, which was the day he told the other lads to come to his house. It had been awhile since Harry has hung out with friends, so he was really excited to spend a day with the only people who had made his time relatively decent at North Bridge.

Anne and Robin were downstairs getting everything ready for all the boys to come over while Harry was in his room getting dressed for the pool. He grabbed his yellow swim trunks, which were one of the last pairs he had that actually fit, and pulled on his pink pineapple tank top. He then slipped his feet inside Nike sandals just about the same time he heard the doorbell go off.

Harry rushed out of his room quickly, jumping down the steps and beating his mom to the door so he could open it. Robin was just passing with a tray full of his barbeque materials while Anne went back into the kitche. Harry smiled as he opened the door to let the lads in, noticing that Niall was standing front and center with his own giant grin on his face.

"Hola," Niall greeted, not bothering to wait for Harry's permission and walking inside the house, "That is Spanish for hello."

Harry rolled his eyes as he opened the door wider for the rest of the guys to enter his house. "Thanks, Niall," Harry snorted.

Niall went straight towards the kitchen when he heard Anne's voice echoing from the room. He brightened up right away at the smell of some food and ended up grabbing on to Liam and Zayn to follow him there. Harry watchen them with a smile as Niall practically skipped in there, but then that was when he realized it was now just him and Louis standing at the front door.

Harry closed the door slowly before turning aorund to look at Louis. Louis had a smirk on his face as he took a couple of steps closer to Harry, blinking up at him and wrapping his arms around Harry's waist, pulling his body in closer to his own. "Hey," he greeted under his breath.

"Hi," Harry replied back, leaning in to press a quick kiss to Louis' lips.

The two of them only got just a few seconds of peacefulness to kiss before Harry was hearing footsteps across their wood flooring. The two of them jumped apart quickly just as Anne was walking her way from the kitchen in to the living room. Harry and Louis shared a quick look at one another before Louis was clearing his throat and stepping closer to Anne.

"And you must be Louis," Anne smirked when she reached to shake Louis' hand, eyeballing Harry with a _knowing look_ that caused Harry to groan. "The fourth boy?"

"Yes that's me," Louis replied nervously, nibbling on his bottom lip while curiously looking around the living room. "Lovely home," Louis commented, briefly smiling when he caught sight of a picture of baby Harry on the wall next to him.

Anne smiled appreciatively, even giving Harry a wink when she caught his eye and thanked Louis with a warm, welcoming hug. She pulled back from him and then gestured towards the back patio door they have on the back wall to their living, "The other boys have already gone out to the pool."

Louis gave her a smile and turned to look at Harry, ready for them to walk outside together, but Harry motioned for him to go ahead. Harry watched as Louis walked his way out the back doors to join their friends, and when Harry turned back to his mother, he saw her staring at him with that same knowing look she had when she first caught sight of Louis.

"He's the one who sneaks out the window?" Anne questioned with a giggle.

"What?" Harry squawked in surprise, blinking his eyes away from his mother. "No, he's just a friend," Harry complained right away, trying to avoid any further interrogation as he started to slowly head towards the patio doors, hearing Anne scoff.

"Okay, sweetie," she reasoned with.

Harry saw his mother roll her eyes before she was heading back into the kitchen. He giggled to himself as he exited out the patio door to join everyone else who were already outside. He could see Niall and Zayn in the water wrestling one another, which from the looks of it, it seemed like Zayn was winning by how easily he was dunking Niall underwater. Liam, on the otherhand, was over by the stereo hooking his phone up, and Louis was just stepping into the pool.

Harry smiled after catching sight of everyone, walking to a pool lounger so he could drop his stuff on it. He took his sandals and his shirt off and tossed both of them on the lounger. He grabbed a can of sun screen and began spraying it all over his torso, knowing very well the sun wasn't friends with his skin. When Harry finished spraying his skin, he set the can down, beginning to walk towards the edge of the pool but pausing when he noticed Louis was watching him with a coy smirk.

Harry blushed right away when catching Louis' eye, but he didn't get a chance to do anything else because he suddenly felt a body jumping on his back. Next thing Harry knew, his feet were tumbling forward at a loss for balance, and he was falling into the pool with a weak squeal. Harry landed in the water with a loud splash and with water entering his mouth, but soon enough, he had warm hands gripping his waist to pull him above the surface.

Harry blinked his eyes open a few times and spit the water out from his mouth, finally fixing himself up to realize that it was Louis' hands on his body. Harry smiled when the two finally made eye contact, feeling himself unconsciously moving his face closer to Louis' as if he was going in for a kiss. But their moment had been ruined when Zayn swam over and splashed them with water.

"You two aren't going to snog are you?" Zayn then asked, looking dubiously between the two of them.

Louis took in a sharp breath of air and retracted his hands as if he was burned. He nibbled on his bottom lip nervously as he glanced between Harry and Zayn, cheeks heating up in a blush. " _Uh_ ," he grumbled desperately.

"If it wasn't for Liam pushing me in, then I wouldn't have almost landed on Louis," Harry quickly added in, swimming away from Louis to jump on Liam's back. He splashed water on Liam's face and tried to put all his weight on Liam's shoulders so that he was forced to go under water.

It was a good enough distraction to stray away from Zayn's comment because it lead to a mass water fight amongst the boys - kissing comment ignored.

Their fight was interrupted when Anne called out that the food was done. Anne and Robin were setting the cutlery and trays of food on the patio table while everyone was dragging themselves out the pool and wrapping their bodies in towels. Harry took his seat at the bench table with Louis coming up right next to him, making their thighs touch purposely, seemingly going unnoticed as they began to fill their plates with food.

After the lot of them ate their meals and spent a good portion laughing over nonsense, they were all heading back into the water to enjoy the rest of their pool day. Niall and Zayn were playing another game with one another while Liam was off laying on a pool float. Harry was watching Zayn and Niall mess around for a few seconds before he grew bored of not doing anything entertaining.

So, Harry decided to sneak his way over to Liam with the idea to flip him off his float, but when Harry started to swim his way over, he noticed that Louis was following behind him. Harry turned his head right away to look at Louis, wondering what he was up to, but Louis quickly stopped swimming and looked the opposite way to make it seem like he wasn't doing anything. Harry frowned at Louis before he started slowly moving forward again, barely hearing the ripples of water behind him signifying that Louis was _still_ following him.

Harry glanced back at Louis again trying to catch him, seeing that Louis was relatively a good distance behind him and leaving no indiator that he was _actually_ following Harry, but Harry was pretty positive that Louis was genuienly messing with him. So, Harry decided to take a huge leap forward in the water to get away from Louis and giggled when Louis followed up to do the same thing. Harry made it to the complete other side of the pool from contiuously swimming away from Louis, and when he quickly turned around to try and catch Louis again, Louis leaned himself up against the pool edge and started whistling.

Harry rolled his eyes as he slowly started swimming away again, biting his lip when he knew that Louis was right behind him. Then, Harry got the brilliant idea of taking off, swimming back across the pool and making Louis let out an annoyed huff as he quickly started swimming to follow Harry. But then Harry abruptly stopped when he was in the middle of the pool, giggling when Louis swam straight into him.

Harry giggled as Louis gripped his hips tightly and turned him around, the two of them now facing each other. Harry's smile was wide as he looked at Louis, sighing softly at admiring the way the water reflected off Louis' blue eyes and made his skin look glossy.

"Why are you following me?" Harry teased, biting his lip as he reached up to move some hair off of Louis' forehead.

Louis shrugged his shoulders before pulling Harry closer to his body, having their chest pressed together. "I want to kiss you," Louis whispered under his breath, a sly smirk on his face when Harry slowly lifted himself up to where he could wrap his legs around Louis' waist. "And other stuff," Louis added, his hands caressing the swell of Harry's ass.

"Louis," Harry sighed, looking around the back yard. "There are people," he reminded.

Louis let out a huff as he drifted his eyes past Harry to catch their friends not even paying any attention to them. His lips then started curving up into a smile as he dug his fingers deeper into the flesh of Harry's ass, causing Harry to twitch at the feeling and making their groins rub up against each other. Well, Harry thought, really trying to resist digging his hands into Louis pants.

"Little touchy aren't we?" Harry rolled his eyes, but what was hidden under the water was his hand sneaking in between their bodies to palm Louis' crotch, so basically, resistance be damned. And well, Hello - Louis was not entirely soft at the moment...

" _Oi,_ " Louis yelped at the touch, his own body twitching causing him to thrust his hips further into Harry's hand. "Harry," he then warned, moving his eyes to the side to signal to Harry that there _were_ still people around.

"Later," Harry promised as he pressed a quick kiss to the side of Louis' cheek, giggling as he was removing himself from Louis' body. "I'll convince my parents to go out tonight."

Louis wiggled his eyebrows teasingly in which caused Harry to playfully slap his chest. Louis gave Harry a wink and quickly swam away to go jump on Zayn's back to shove him underwater, causing Niall to cheer while Liam leaned up from his float to scowl.

"Louis," Liam growled, hopping off the float and swimming over to rescue Zayn. He pulled his boyfriend away from Louis and wrapped him up in his arms. He then leaned forward and pressed an obnoxious kiss to lips that made Louis let out a gagging sound.

"Gross," Louis stepped aside.

"You shut it," Zayn scolded with a smile, turning back to Liam and already leaning forward for another kiss, "I want to snog my boyfriend."

"Louis, you want to snog?" Niall asked suddenly, swimming towards Louis and hiking his leg up against Louis' hip. Louis let out a loud grumble and threw Niall's leg off him, not as amused as Niall was hoping. "Fine. Just snog Harry," Niall whined.

The lot of them stayed in the pool for a few more hours until it was time for them to leave - or more like it was Zayn and Liam pushing for them to go home with some lame excuse about their parents needing them for dinner. Their horniess for one another couldn't have been any more obvious. It was just unfortunate because all four of them rode together, which meant if one left, then Louis had to leave as well, and honestly, Louis acted as if he wanted to stay. But, with a goodbye kiss and a promise to text Harry when he got home, Louis was forced to leave with the rest of the lads.

Harry met his mom in the kitchen once everything was picked and cleaned up. He went straight to the dining table and sat down in one of the seats while Anne joined him with a smile, reaching across the table to reach for Harry's hand. "So Harry," she started with, nodding her head approvingly. "I like your friends. Very funny."

Harry smiled in response as he used his free hand to play with a napkin. "Yeah, they are good."

"And Louis," Anne cleared her throat, comically widening her eyes the same time Harry dropped his forehead on the table. "You two seem to be quite - _close_."

"Mom," He complained, tilting his head up so he could eyeball his mother "No we - we didn't - we aren't,"

"Sure, Harry, and that goodbye kiss was nothing?"

"Mum!" Harry shrieked horrifically. He jumped up in his seat and immediately covered his hands over his face, groaning out loudly.

"I'm just saying," she said with a smile, "If you two like each other, why not do anything about it? I can tell there's something considering the two of you wouldn't separate at all from each other."

"It's complicated," Harry sighed.

"It's only complicated when both people want it but are too scared to do anything about it," Anne finished off with. She got up from the chair and walked over to press a kiss to the top of Harry's head before she was heading out of the kitchen.

Harry hummed to himself once he was left alone, actually letting his mother's words sink into his mind. He did always wonder if Louis actually liked him the way that Harry did. Harry had always trusted his mother's intentions and what she had to say, and even she clearly thought that Louis had some sort of feeling towards Harry.

Harry didn't really know what to think or believe because he remembered earlier that same week when Louis reminded him that he wasn't tied down to Harry. Louis even went as far as putting Eleanor into the conversation too, so Harry couldnt' tell where Louis' feelings were at the moment.

Harry decided that he really didn't want to sit there at the kitchen table to argue with his mind over whether or not Louis liked him or not. So he picked himself up and headed towards his bedroom. He plopped down on the mattress and grabbed his phone to see if Louis had messaged him yet, but he noticed he had one from Nick instead.

 _Hey how's it going?_ (: is what it read, causing Harry to raise his eyebrow at the random message.

The two of them never really been on a texting basis, so this was pretty strange for Harry to see something like this on his phone. Actually, they honestly have never texted at all. But, Harry was kind of bored, and he didnt think talking to Nick would be all that bad. So he reluctantly replied, informing Nick about the pool day with the lads, and then the conversation ended up dragging into another few hours without Harry realizing how easy it was to have a conversation with Nick.

It was about two hours later when Louis finally messaged him, after Harry had been occupying his time talking with Nick. Harry's heart skipped a beat the minute Louis' contact swiped across the screen, and he quickly tapped out of his conversation with Nick to see what Louis had to say.

 _You free?_ Louis sent, causing Harry to furrow his eyebrows at the message, feeling a sense of disappointment wash over him.

It wasn't like Harry really was expecting much, he knew the basis of his and Louis' relationship, but sometimes he did wish that Louis would text him without the intention of hookinh up. He kind of wished him and Louis could have a texting conversation much like the one he was having with Nick, but ever message with Louis was intended for sex.

And no matter how much Harry complained to himself about the complication of their relationship, and not knowing Louis' true feelings, he still ended up replying to Louis every time knowing that they would be doing what they always did.

And that was having meaningless sex.

 

 //

 

Harry walked into his English class the following day after the weekend, one of his last classes of the day, and sat down in his seat with a huff. He shared this class with Zayn, and luckily with no other players from the football team. So this was one of the classes he _did_ enjoy, and it was an hour within the school day where he didn't have to actually worry about anyone bugging him.

However, the minute Harry sat down in his seat, he was already being interrogated by Zayn.

"Do you and Louis have a thing?" Zayn blurted out right away.

Harry raised his eyebrow as he slowly turned to look at Zayn, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. "What?" Harry swallowed.

"At the pool, you two were so touchy, and at lunch, you guys flirt, I see it. He always talks about you without even noticing. So I ask again, do you two have a thing?"

Harry let out a few scoffs and tried to mask his face in to anything other than that he was lying, but he was always a horrid liar. He turned his body to face the front of the class and focused more on pulling his pens and a notebook out instead of letting his facial expressions give himself away.

"Pft. No, Zayn."

Zayn dropped the subject when their professor entered the room to start their lecture. It was a long hour of Harry trying to focus on what was being taught, but he knew Zayn was watching him carefully and waiting for the right time to lean over and ask more questions. Harry really wasn't in the mood at the moment to be interrogated by anyone with his relationship with Louis. It was all complicated enough.

When the hour bell rang, Harry quickly scooped all his stuff out and rushed out the room. He could barely hear the faint sound of Zayn calling his name in an attempt to catch him, but Harry buried himself in a swarm of people as he made his down the hallway. He was only stopped once when Taylor rounded the corner and caught sight of Harry, walking up to him expectedly.

"What?" Harry questioned.

"So, the kiss-" She questioned, running her hand through her hair and narrowing her eyes at Harry's expression.

"It meant nothing," Harry sighed, moving to press his hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry, I just - I'm not into you like that. I know I kissed you - which was wrong on my part - but it was mainly to get back at someone. I'm really sorry I used you like that."

Taylor twisted her lips to the side and thoughtfully look down at her shoes. It took her a second to actually let Harry's words sit before she started to accept them with a nod to her head.

"Yeah, I know," Taylor eased with a smile, "I'm sorry I was so pushy. I feel like maybe I did all that as well to get back at someone, so I get it."

Harry frowned, "You're not mad?"

"You're gay," Taylor stated bluntly, causing Harry to choke on his own spit at the confession. He didn't know why it was still such a shock to hear people here call him that. Maybe because for the first couple of weeks that word was used in a way to hurt him, so he kind of forgot what it meant when it was simply in terms of his sexuality.

"I can't hate you for something that you are or force you to like me. I'm not that kind of person." Taylor bit her lip as she gauged in Harry's reaction. She could see he was having a slight panic attack from the way he was breathing shakily and looking anywhere but at her. Harry hated he felt this way about his sexuality being at this school because it had him so nervous for any backlash that he could receive. However, Taylor smiled and stepped closer to calm Harry down, pressing a hand to his bicep.

"I won't tell anyone you're actually gay if it's a secret. It's not something for me to tell or harass you about. I'm okay with it," She quickly eased him, finally seeing him start to clam down a bit. "But don't have sex with a boy after you have sex with a girl," she then teased.

"Yeah, lesson learned."

Taylor gave Harry a friendly hug before she was leaving to go down the hallway. Harry watched with a smile as she met up with some of her friends and disappeared with them, and then once she was gone, he continued walking forward. He saw that Nick was coming in from the opposite way, and the minute the two of them made eye contact, Nick smiled brightly at him.

"Hey, Haz," Nick greeted once they were in close enough distance, pulling Harry in for a hug.

"What's going on?"

Harry simply asked the question to start a conversation up with Nick, but what he didn't expect was for a shaky laugh to come out. Harry frowned as he turned to give Nick a look, making sure he was alright, but finding that he was nervously chewing on his lip. He was fidgeting and nervous, looking anywhere but at Harry.

They made it to the front doors of the school and stopped there as Nick leaned himself up against the wall. He crossed his leg over the other and ran his fingers through his hair before taking in a long, deep breath. "I was wondering if you wanted to do something on Saturday?" He finally came out to ask. "If you are not busy, I guess."

Harry quickly looked down at the ground as he thought of something to say. Something in his mind was telling him he should go ahead and say no because of his thing with Louis, but at the end of the day, he and Louis are _not_ in a real relationship at the moment. Louis even went as far as to mention that he didn't care if Nick and Harry were gonna be together. Sure it was a weak plea, but if Louis wasn't tied down, then Harry shouldn't be either.

The constant struggle of saying yes though, is that Harry didn't want to lead Nick on for all the wrong reasons, especially if Harry is so preoccupied with Louis. Louis and Harry may not be in a relationship, but Harry liked Louis. He really did, and it wouldn't be fair to Nick giving him a false sense of hope for anything further with Harry if Harry had no true intentions. If anything, Harry has only ever seen Nick as a good friend, nothing else.

"I'll have to check," Harry reasoned with, already seeing the features on Nick's face drop and his shoulders slouching in defeat. "No, like I'm not sure if my parents have anything planned. I just have to make sure. I would hate to say yes and end up having to say no," Harry then followed up with, sometimes cursing himself for being so nice.

"I'll text you," Harry eased when he noticed Nick's expression wasn't budging.

"Okay, let me know."

Nick gave Harry a rather quick hug before he was scurrying past Harry like he was trying to get away from him. Harry frowned as he turned around to watch Nick disappear into the front office of the school, twisting his lips at the rush of guilt starting to flood his system. He hated that he couldn't fully commit to Nick, especially knowing that Nick had some sort of crush on him, but Harry didn't want to start something he couldn't finish.

Harry was cut out of his thoughts when he saw that Louis was now walking his way. Harry instantly perked up right away and felt a goofy grin breaking through his lips.

"What did Grim-shit want?" Louis greeted with, causing Harry to scoff right away and even playfully hit his chest.

"Don't call him that," Harry scolded. "And he was just talking to me about Saturday."

"He asked you out?" Louis questioned, his eyebrow-raising.

Harry shrugged his shoulders and carefully looked at Louis' expression. He was waiting to see if Louis would show any signs of emotion anywhere - jealousy, anger, sadness - anything to give Harry an idea as to what Louis actually thought about someone else taking Harry on a date. But, Louis didn't budge. Not even so much as twitched as he kept his face pretty neutral.

"Yeah," Harry sighed defeatedly.

"Lame," Louis grunted, placing his hands on his hips, "I wouldn't."

Harry rolled his eyes and tried not to let Louis' input really bother him. It was a weak, barely-there plea of asking Harry not to go, but Harry didn't know if it was because Louis liked Harry, or if it was because Louis didn't like Nick. Either way, Harry knew that he needed to have a DTR with Louis because this constant uncertainty was growing annoying.

"Are you coming over today to work on our project?" Harry asked to change the subject.

Louis licked his lips as he stepped a little bit closer to Harry, He answered with a soft hum and a nod to his head, but when their bodies were mere inches apart, he reached his hands over to wrap them around Harry's waist. He pulled Harry forward with a grunt, leaning up to press his lips right above Harry's ear.

"And for other things, darling."

Harry shivered when the hot breath of Louis words panned his ear before he let out a little giggle. He pulled his face back some to catch a glimpse of Louis' face, and then he quickly leaned forward to press a light kiss to his lips. Louis let a big gush of air out his nose when their lips made contact, instantly letting his body relax.

But the kiss was quick and didn't last very long, and the worst of all, Stan and Oli's voices were echoing down the hall. Louis jumped back instantly from Harry and gave them a couple feet of room from each other. Louis didn't think much as he reached out to push Harry backward, causing him to hit his back up against the lockers. The force wasn't too hard, barely anything really, but Harry was more confused when Louis stepped forward and gripped the collar of his shirt.

"What are you doing?" Harry growled with wide eyes, grabbing on to Louis' wrists and trying to take his hold off.

"Just go with it," he begged desperately, eyes flicking to the side when Oli and Stan were finally turning down the hallway. "I'm sorry, okay?"

Harry gulped as he hesitantly moved his hands back down to his side. He could now see Oli and Stan in his peripheral approaching the two of them, so Harry understood what was happening. As much as Harry didn't like it, he knew if Louis was the one controlling the incident he could get away much easier, but when he looked back into Louis' eyes, he could see pure fear.

"Get the fuck out of my way, _fag,_ " Louis then spat once the other two were close enough. Louis even added to the act by pulling Harry off the lockers just to push him right back against it.

It didn't hurt. Louis did it soft enough to make sure he didn't _actually_ hurt Harry, even though he did make a good show of it. But Harry kept up with the act and grimaced right away, closing his eyes with a tiny yelp coming out.

"Leave me alone," Harry weakly argued back, feeling his breath starting to come out in quick, choppy cycles, purely because he really wasn't comfortable with what was going on.

He didn't know what Louis' next move would be or if he was done. He was hoping Stan nor Oli got their hands on him because he knew that their hands wouldn't be as gentle as Louis. But Louis ended up pulling Harry from the lockers and tossing him to the ground. Harry easily let his body fall to make it seem like Louis was genuinely hurting him. He landed more with grace as his body slid across the floor.

Louis got close enough to Harry so that he could stand right above him. Louis looked down at Harry and whispered a private apology before Stan and Oli were laughing their way right next to his side. Harry gulped and blinked over to Stan, body tensing from simply being in his appearance.

"What did this pussy do?" Stan asked.

"Nothing," Louis smirked.

Louis looked down at Harry one last time, and with a curt nod, he tried getting Stan and Oli to follow him back down the hallway. Louis got a few paces ahead of the other two, back turned towards them, however, not seeing what was about to happen. Because before Oli and Stan actually left to follow Louis, they walked up to Harry and both took a shot at kicking Harry in the stomach.

Harry winced right away at the blow and held on to his stomach with his arms, letting out a weak groan at the impact. He crunched his body up as he laid on his side, watching Oli and Stan quickly catch up with Louis. Harry rolled his eyes and slowly sat himself up when the pain started to subside. He took a few seconds to regain his breathing before he was starting to lift himself up on his feet.

He could faintly see Louis at the end of the hallway having some sort of conversation with Oli and Stan, but his eyes kept flicking worriedly over towards Harry. Harry let out a huff at Louis' incesive need to look at him, rather than actually helping, and held on to his stomach as he walked over to where he dropped his stuff. He slowly bent down to pick it up and wince right away from the pressure hitting his stomach, but he then felt warm hands on his back helping him to stand properly again.

"You okay? Did I hurt you?" Louis questioned right away, looking all over Harry's body to see if there were any marks.

Harry noticed that Stan and Oli were gone, which was obviously why Louis came back to him. He offered Louis a weak smile and lifted his shirt to catch sights of any marks from the kick. His stomach was slightly red, but the beginning formation of a bruise was starting to appear.

"Not from you."

Louis frowned, "I swear I'll get them to stop hitting you. I'll think of something."

"It's fine," Harry sighed, leaning in to press a kiss to the side of Louis' mouth, "As long as we don't get caught, it's okay. I'll see you after practice?"

"Yeah," Louis bit his lip, carefully looking at Harry for a few seconds before finally giving Harry an actual kiss.

Harry blushed right away and watched as Louis turned down the hallway and quickly jogged to catch up with Stan and Oli. Harry ended up standing there for a few seconds lightly touching his bottom lip and smiling. He was then ready to finally head home when he suddenly saw Zayn emerging from the entryway to the bathrooms.

"Zayn?"

"You two so have a thing," Zayn blurted out, a wicked grin making its appearance on his face.

"W-what?"

"You guys kissed right here," Zayn started laughing as if this was the funniest thing he ever saw. "Plus, the two of you just planned your sex date for later. I saw it all."

"Zayn!" Harry cried out, rushing to get closer so he could cover up Zayn's mouth with his hand. Zayn only furthered his laughing and pulled himself away from Harry. Harry rolled his eyes and stared unamused at the boy until he was finally calming himself down. "Explain yourself."

"Well, my interest peaked not too long ago when I saw the two of you at lunch. You lot would keep looking at each other secretly, and Louis would always be so eager to go outside during lunch," Zayn began to explain. "Then at your house in the pool. You two were so touchy and really close together. I had a feeling that you guys were fucking, and now was just all the confirmation I needed."

"You aren't going to tell are you?"

Zayn shook his head, "No, mate. I wouldn't do that to you guys. Especially, Louis. Our first year here was hell for him with the gay rumors."

"Thank you," Harry whispered earnestly. He held on to Zayn shoulders and gave him a brief smile that showed all the gratitude Harry could give. Harry knew that Louis wanted to keep their thing a secret, and he's not entirely sure how Louis would react now knowing that Zayn knows, but at least its just Zayn instead of the worst part of the school.

"Just be careful, Harry," Zayn then warned, growing more serious. "That little act in the hallway might have been fake, but Louis will do whatever he can to save his reputation. Just make sure he doesn't physically hurt you, okay? Make sure you don't let that get out of hand."

Harry nodded his head, understanding where Zayn was coming from. But even during the whole situation, he never actually thought Louis would hurt him. The worst of it was when Oli and Stan kicked him, and that was probably one of the least painful harassments they brought on Harry. So Harry may actually be okay if Louis is the one dealing simply knowing his hands were more gentle and caring.

"He warned me before. He wouldn't actually hurt me now," Harry eased. "It was just to keep the act up."

Zayn nodded his head, rolling his shoulders back, "Just - Just be careful. Stan and Oli have a bad influence over him."

The two of them parted once they were outside of the school to head to their cars. Harry blew air out his lips and walked over to where his car was parked, quickly getting inside and starting the vehicle up. Once he was finally sat with the air blowing through the vents, he looked out his front window to see the football team warming up on the football field.

Harry smiled as he caught sight of Louis, tan skin glistening in the sun and his brown hair slick with sweat. Then Harry caught sight of Stan standing right next to Louis, and his smile easily turned down into a frown. Harry watched as both Stan and Louis were suddenly ganging up on a smaller, more fragile looking boy, probably someone in their first year. The two of them were yelling at him before yelling at a group of smaller kids behind him.

Harry bit his lip as those younger ones scurried off to run somewhere else. He saw as Stan and Louis give a look at one another before giving each other a high five, and suddenly, Harry's conversation with Zayn was prominently on his mind.

Maybe Harry really did need to talk to Louis now.

 

//

 

"So we have to write a couple of stanzas for the poem," Louis mumbled under his breath, reading over the requirements on the instructions sheet for the partner project in music class.

It was probably the first time Harry and Louis had actually met with one another the intent to work on their project rather than to just have sex. The offer was there originally, from Louis of course, but it was Harry who wanted to get started on their poem, and maybe he had hoped to weasel in a conversation about their confusing relationship as well. It had worked so far considering Louis' bag was opened and the instructions sheet were in his hand, so all Harry had to do was think of a way to lead into that conversation. 

Harry hummed as he leaned back against the headboard to his bed. He and Louis were sitting side by side each with a journal in their laps. Harry's eyes trailed over to read a few sentences from the instructions sheet before nodding his head. 

"Yeah, doesn't seem too hard I suppose."

Louis agreed with a little sound before he opened his notebook up, surprising Harry a little. He didn't think Louis would really work on the poem and do much of anything, but there Louis was pulling out a pen. Harry raised his eyebrow as he watched Louis look up from his paper to think about something, soon turning his head to cast a quick glance at Harry before he started writing stuff down. 

Harry watched carefully as the words easily fell from Louis' pen to the paper. Louis had written down some sentences he liked where he made little notes by, and the ones he wasn't too fond of, he ended up scratching through them. Harry bit his lip as he scooted himself a little closer to see what Louis was writing down, noticing that Louis was beginning to smile when their shoulders and legs started touching. 

"When I first saw you from across the room," Harry repeated the words Louis had just put a star by, blinking over at Louis to see him chewing nervously on his pen. "Who did you see from across the room?" Harry teased, not seeing the real meaning behind it. 

Louis seemed hesitant to answer as he continued to bite the end of the pen, doing anything he could to busy himself from answering. Harry frowned and reached over to grab the pen away from Louis' mouth, hoping it would help Louis from being distracted. Harry then kept looking at Louis with an inquiring look, wondering what was so difficult about the question to answer. 

When Harry didn't budge on dropping the topic, Louis let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "You," he muttered under his breath. 

Harry widened his eyes immediately and cocked his head back, "What?" he breathed out, feeling kind of confused yet flattered at the same time. 

Louis bit his bottom lip when a warm blush coated his cheeks, seemingly embarrassed about something. He gently closed the notebook in his lap and ended up looking down at his hands. Louis smiled bashfully as he took in a slow, deep breath, willing himself to relax before finding his voice to explain. 

"Summer going into our second year," he admitted shyly, causing Harry to swallow down a lump. Harry had no idea that Louis had even known him back then. He always thought Louis heard of Harry through Reid, but now knowing that it was before the two of them even started dating has Harry feeling all sorts of things. Now, Harry was definitely intrigued. 

"Twice, actually. At a party and then at some charity foot ball game," Louis continued slowly. "Right before school started ."

"What are you talking about?" Harry blinked. 

"It was Ed. I used to play club with him a few years back, and he invited me to his birthday."

Harry widen his eyes when he remembered the exact party Louis was talking about. He was already friends with Cara by then, and it was one of the first parties he ever went to. He and Ed had been pretty good friends before Harry started dating Reid, so Harry felt comfortable enough to attend his birthday. It was one of the first times Harry had ever truly gotten drunk and the first time he kissed a boy. 

Wow, Harry thought to himself, he couldn't believe that was the first time Louis ever saw him. 

"I didn't know you were there," Harry pinched his bottom lip with his finger, furrowing his eyebrows together as if he was vividly trying to remember seeing Louis there. Harry honestly didn't think he even knew of Louis then, only ever really heard of him because of Reid. 

"Yeah, well - that was the first time I saw you. It was in the kitchen where you and some girl were taking shots. Obviously, I could tell then that it had to have been your first shot because you didn't handle it well at all," Louis smiled, causing Harry to blush some. "Then a few weeks later, right before school was about to start, I noticed you in the stands at the local charity game. Caught my attention twice."

"I caught your attention?" Harry questioned with a small smile, starting to nervously nibble on his bottom lip when he felt his stomach doing flips at the confession. 

"Well, you looked cute. Dressed in your ridiculous hipster clothes and your hair in a small bun," Louis admitted, this time more embarrassed. "And then at the charity game, since it was a club rival game, Reid was the closest person next to me, so I asked him about you - not entirely realizing it was him until he made a comment that made me want to shove his face in the ground."

"Wait, a minute," Harry interrupted with a shake to his head, reaching out to grab Louis' knee. "Reid?"

Louis nodded his head slowly, biting down on his lip. "Yeah. He told me a guy like you would never come after me, and then like a week later the two of you were dating about the same time I also caught Reid and Hanna together."

Harry then felt like his breath had just gotten knocked out of him and a huge slap went across his face. He slumped back against the headboard with a loud sigh as he began to think over everything Louis had just told him. Was Harry's relationship with Reid fueled by Reid's feud with Louis? Because that was exactly what it felt like at the moment. If Louis didn't ask about Harry to Reid, would Reid and Harry even have dated? 

Harry felt his heartbeat starting to quicken the longer he thought about the whole situation. Harry actually developed feelings for Reid and put in effort to be with him, but now knowing that maybe Reid was using Harry just to shove it in Louis' face felt like a major punch to his stomach. But, the more Harry thought about it, the more it started to make sense.

The only time Reid was ever a relatively good boyfriend was when they were out in public or at any football games. It could have been those times when Louis was around and Reid was parading Harry around like some trophy he won. It was a sick thought that made Harry feel truly disgusted and used, but now it had him starting to question Louis' motives as well. Was Louis messing with Harry too to shove it back in Reid's face? 

Harry really didn't want to be the rope in this tug of war between them.

"Reid is an ass," Louis spoke up when Harry didn't reply to anything. 

Harry blinked a couple of times and let himself have a big breath before masking his face to one that showed he didn't care. He sat up against the headboard and reached for the notebook he left on the mattress and opened it up to start writing stuff down for the poem.

"Who cares about him now," Harry finally commented. 

Louis let out a little snort as he got himself comfortable next to Harry. He casually tossed his arms around Harry's shoulders and pulled him into his side while he watched Harry write stuff down. 

"If you like causing trouble -  And if you like to have secret little rendezvous - If you like to do the things you know that we shouldn’t do," Louis recited once Harry was done writing. He read them again under his breath before raising his eyebrow over at Harry. 

Harry gave him a weak smile and a shrug to his shoulders before Louis was rolling his eyes and grabbing the notebook from Harry's hand. He ended up tossing the journal over his shoulder and crawling over on top of Harry. He hovered his body right over Harry's as Harry started to lay himself down flat on the mattress, his hands reaching up to grab the belt loops on Louis' jeans. 

"What are you getting at?" Harry asked when Louis leaned down to press a kiss to the side of Harry's neck, keeping his hands planted on either side of Harry's head. 

 "Did you write that about us?" Louis finally asked after pressing long, drawn-out kisses up the column of Harry's neck. He moved one of his hands from the bed and went to grip Harry's jaw, angling his face so that he was forced to look up at Louis. 

"Maybe," Harry bit his lip. 

Harry moved his hands from Louis jeans to his lower back. He applied pressure right at Louis' tail bone and forced him to fall down flat on top of Harry. Louis shook his head fondly as he leaned down to press a soft kiss to Harry's lips, being interrupted by Harry giggling to himself. 

"Hey, you know I leave Thursday for the opening footie tournament, right?" Louis then questioned, pulling back from Harry's face to look properly down at him. 

"Yeah?" Harry questioned, furrowing his eyebrows together as he rested his arms comfortably around Louis' back. 

"I won't be here for four days and I was wondering -"

Louis trailed off the end of his sentence and blinked his eyes to the side. Harry raised his eyebrows as he carefully watched Louis' face and ended up nudging his leg against Louis' to get him to continue. Louis sighed as he looked back down at Harry, lightly trailing his finger along the curve of Harry's bottom lip. 

"Well, since we can't really have sex while I am away, I was wondering if you would do something for me?" Louis finished slowly, carefully watching Harry's face for any signs of _something_.

But, Harry simply snorted, shaking his head right away. "I am not driving my ass to London so your horny ass can fuck me. No way."

"No, not that," Louis dismissed right away, "I mean like - like a _video_ , maybe?"

Harry widened his eyes almost immediately and choked on his spit. He sat upon the bed as Louis slowly backed off from being on top of him. Harry let out a tiny breath and just, he _just_ stared at Louis because he couldn't quite believe what Louis had asked from him.

 _A video?_ Harry thought to himself. Harry had never done anything like that before or had even come close to the thought of one. He didn't even know how to respond to the request let alone trying to process it. 

" _Uh-_ what?" Harry finally voiced, staring at Louis as if he was crazy. "I'm not making a sex tape, Louis." 

"No. No.No. I mean like -" Louis paused again as he scooted himself back into Harry's space. He reached his hand out to grab a tiny piece of Harry's hair and began twirling it around his finger. "Like maybe a video of you giving me a blowjob, or of something, but not us fucking, no. I just want to have something while I am gone."

Harry blushed right away at the mere thought of having the camera on him. He couldn't even imagine himself sexy enough to be filmed and watched later. He didn't know what he was doing half the time off the screen, now putting a camera up would add more pressure that Harry wasn't too thrilled about. Not even Reid had suggested such a bizarre request before because even Reid knew that Harry wasn't really that sexy. 

And now Harry was really stressing over the fact that he wasn't sexy enough to do this. Fuck. 

"You'll do great. Trust me," Louis eased once he noticed the mental battle that was going on in Harry's head. "I've seen you give a blowjob before, and it is quite the sight," he then tried to ease, finally getting a small smile out of Harry. "Only if you want to though. No pressure."

"O-Okay," Harry breathed out slowly, relaxing himself a little into the cushion and looking up at Louis. He saw that Louis was being careful and looking concerned. For asking such a big favor, Louis was still giving the option to Harry. It wasn't like he was forcing Harry to film him or secretly stashing a camera behind something. Louis was at least asking Harry and not pressurizing him to do anything he wasn't comfortable with. 

"Yeah. Okay, why not?" Harry finally agreed. 

Louis jumped up the minute Harry said yes. He tossed himself on to his back next to Harry and unbuttoned his pants. He left those open while he dragged his top completely off so that only his torso was exposed. Harry raised his eyebrow and looked over at Louis laying down, breathing slowly to calm himself down from internally freaking out. 

"Maybe just wear boxers," He suggested, "Unless you have panties to wear?" he added as an afterthought, making Harry blush right away.

And well, Harry does have panties, something he was  _not_ letting Louis know about. Panties were for special occasions and for boyfriends, not for someone he had no strings attached with. If Louis ever upgraded himself to the boyfriend status, then maybe Harry would think of putting on a show in just his black thong, but until then, Louis didn't need to know about that little secret. 

"Just boxers," Harry breathed out shakily. 

Harry finally got himself off the bed and walked around until he was at the foot of it. He took just his shirt and jeans off while Louis was getting his phone ready to record. Harry sighed nervously as he reached to tie his hair up in a bun, not really wanting his hair to get in his face. He knew how messy a blowjob could get, considering this was surprisingly not the first time he had sucked Louis' dick. Hopefully not the last either, but well ...

When Louis gave the thumbs up for Harry, Harry crawled up on the bed and hovered over Louis' legs on all four. He gulped down the nervousness that started to creep up his throat and shakily moved his hands up to the waistband of Louis' pants. Harry looked up at the camera for a brief second before he began peeling Louis' jeans off his legs slowly, at least down to his ankles. 

Louis was then just laying in his boxers, cock already starting to stiffen from the small activity that was happening. Harry looked back down at Louis' groin and leaned in to get his mouth right above his bulge. He blinked up at Louis, holding his eye contact as he leaned down to start mouthing at the growing bulge underneath Louis' boxers. Louis bit his lip hard and dropped his head back on the pillow, letting out a deep breath through his nose as Harry pulled back to start pulling Louis' boxers down. 

Harry got Louis fully naked, now sitting on Louis' thighs and reaching his hands out to grip the base of his cock. He let his fingers and his hands stroke up and down the length before he slowly, agonizingly slowly, leaned down to wrap his lips around the head of Louis' cock. Louis let out another deep breath as Harry let his lips travel further down whilst keeping his eyes locked on Louis. 

Harry let his head rock up and down as he sucked his lips harder to get the drag to feel tight. Louis involuntarily shifted his hips up when Harry was pushing his head back down and ended up choking Harry with his dick. But, Harry didn't stop, he relaxed his throat and allowed for Louis to keep pushing all the way in until Harry's nose was buried straight into the little happy trail that Louis had going on. 

Harry then tapped on to Louis' hip which was a little indicator that he was ready for Louis to start fucking into his mouth, so that's exactly what Louis started to do. Harry kept his mouth firmly wrapped around the shaft of Louis' cock as Louis began thrusting his hips upwards. Spit and drool started to dribble out of Harry's mouth and roll down his chin, maybe a mixture of the pre-come from Louis, but he didn't bother to clean it up. The messier the better Louis always said. 

Louis thrusted his hips a few more times before Harry sucked his lips harder around the base of Louis' cock, dragging his mouth slowly back to the top. He let his tongue come out and swirl along the head, letting his tongue dip into the slit before pulling back and opening his mouth wide. His free hand came out to stroke Louis until he was spilling all across Harry's face. 

Harry smacked his lips together and looked back at the camera. He knew the next thing he did was one of Louis' favorites, so he swiped his fingers across some of the come on his face and made a show of sucking it right off his finger. It was the last thing Harry did before Louis was turning off the recording and pushing Harry on his back to finish him off. 

Once the two of them were both calm and cleaned up, they got dress, and Louis ended up sitting on the edge of the bed. He pulled his phone back out as he happily clicked the video to start watching it from the beginning, a smile growing on his face and his hand coming down to adjust his groin. 

"Yeah, this will defiantly do, babe," Louis bit his lip. 

He tossed his phone to the side and looked up as Harry started walking towards him. Harry rolled his eyes while pushing his way in between Louis' legs, leaning down against him as he wrapped his arms around Louis' neck and Louis' arms going around Harry's waist. 

"That was my first time on camera."

"Well, you're a fucking pro," Louis praised, hands going down to grip Harry's ass. "You sure you've never fucked on camera?"

"You asshole," Harry punched his arm right away. He tried backing away from Louis not at all endeared by the accusation, but Louis held on to Harry tighter and pulled him back against his body. 

"I mean that as a compliment," Louis tried with a smile, yanking Harry down on to his lap. "As in, you look hot as fuck in this video, and only _I_ get to watch it."

Harry rolled his eyes, but he couldn't stop himself from blushing. It made his face heat up just at the mere thought of Louis actually getting off on a video that Harry made for him, and now, Harry's feelings were just going completely haywire at this. Harry pushed aside these thoughts and leaned down to press his lips against Louis', cupping the side of his jaw and holding him in place as he pushed himself harder against Louis. 

They only got themselves a few moments of kissing before Louis was patting Harry's bum to get him off his lap. Harry frowned as Louis helped sit him on the matress next to his body before he was standing up. He then walked over to his bag on the ground and started packing his things up, causing Harry to pout right away. 

"You're leaving?" 

"Yeah, El needed me to come over today," he admitted lazily. "Something about homework. I dunno."

Harry's eyes widen as he shot up from the bed to grab Louis' arm from leaving. He turned him around quickly and harden his glare at Louis. "El?" Harry snapped, not sure if he's more angry or upset about the fact that Louis was going over to his -whatever she was. 

"You're going to El's to fuck aren't you?"

Louis frowned as he yanked his arm away. "Harry," he warned curtly. Harry stared at him for a few more seconds before he let out a defeated groan. He shook his head as he stomped his way over towards his bed and slumped down on the mattress. He gave Louis the death stare as he moved to open the door, but then Louis paused and turned to look back at him. 

"Look, she probably does need help with homework," Louis tried, causing Harry to scoff because  _yeah fucking right_ , How dumb is he. "But either way, I'm still not tied down to you."

Harry swallowed down the lump in his throat when Louis finally walked out to leave Harry alone in his room. After Harry heard the front door closing after Louis, he finally felt the tears in his eyes start to drip down his face. Harry felt disgusted once again. Feeling used and like some sex toy that Louis liked to play with whenever he was bored. 

So much for Harry wanting to talk to Louis about their relationship. Why bother when Louis gave his answer so clearly. Louis tactic was to screw Harry and then turn around to screw El. Oh, and then Harry can't forget Louis adding the nice reminder that he wasn't tied down, especially not to Harry. Harry shouldn't have expected anything else considering the two of them just fuck and do nothing else. 

Harry needed to end this thing before he truly did get himself hurt. He's already caught feelings that he really tried to avoid, but the more he's with Louis, the harder it was to let Louis leave him. Harry needed someone permanent. He needed someone who wanted him more than sex. 

He needed someone who wanted him and only him, no-one else. 

He needed someone like Nick.

Harry chewed on his bottom lip for a quick second before he reached for his phone on the nightstand. He rolled over to his side and pulled up his message app out to start typing up something to send Nick's way. 

 _Hey I am free Saturday._  Harry typed, chewing on his bottom lip before following up with _What did ya have planned? (:_


	5. Chapter 5

It was a consistent buzz after buzz indicating Harry had yet another message coming through to his phone. He tried to hold his ground and not reply to any of them, knowing so very well that it was Louis texting him while he was at his football tournament.

When another ping came through, Harry groaned as he clicked his phone to read the two messages that Louis sent back to back. Apparently, the constant ignored messages Harry was giving Louis didn't seem to ring any bell in Louis' mind. He continued to send messages to Harry like nothing was wrong and as if Harry would so easily succumb to having any sort of phone sex.

If things ended differently before Louis left, well then maybe. But considering Louis left Harry's to go to El's afterward just made Harry nauseous.

 _Hey, wanna ft? (;_ the first one read, _or chat on the phone? We have the night free._

Harry clenched his hand tighter around his phone as he continued to stare at the two messages Louis sent, causing his eye to twitch from how hard he was glaring at the stupid winky face Louis had to add. It wasn't even a proper greeting to Harry, just straight up indicating that Louis somehow wanted to end up with Harry naked on the other line. It drove Harry mad at how oblivious and idiotic Louis could be sometimes.

"Hey, you okay?" Nick asked, interrupting Harry from his mind.

Harry blinked up and quickly smiled at Nick as he approached the cafe table with a tray of food. They were supposed to be hanging out today since Harry had agreed to do so, but Harry continuously kept getting distracted by the heavy messages on his phone.

Nick took Harry to the mall to shop around and maybe see a movie. It wasn't necessarily an amazing date if that was what Nick was going for. In all honesty, Reid used to take Harry to the mall all the time for their dates so it's kind of a washed-up idea now for Harry.

"I'm good," Harry eased when he noticed Nick wouldn't stop staring at him. "Just someone stupid messaging me. An old friend."

"If you say so."

Harry smiled over at Nick before he was reaching for the wrap Nick had ordered him. The two of them ate their lunch in a comfortable silence as they looked around the food court. It gave Harry more time to think about himself and more about his date with Nick - well if it's even considered a date. It's not like they were holding hands or trying to kiss one another. No flirting or nothing. If anything, it was more like two friends hanging out.

If that was the case, then Harry would say he was enjoying himself. He got to help Nick pick out a few outfits while Harry grabbed a few things for himself. They both ended up getting a little knick-knack for their mothers, and right before they ate lunch, they went to one of the painting stores and did a little arts and crafts activity.

Overall, it was nice. Harry enjoyed being in the presence of a man who valued their time together and actually made it seem like they wanted to be around Harry. Nick complimented Harry and said a bunch of words that _did_ make Harry blush, but it was mainly because Harry wasn't exactly used to having affection in a public place like that. The most Reid would do was hold Harry's hand or grip his ass, but that was about it.

At most, Reid was the best when they were in public because he at least made it known he and Harry were dating. Even though now Harry was starting to believe that Reid wanted people to know they were dating all in hopes to piss Louis off. But behind closed doors, in their private time, Reid was truly a dick to Harry. He always bossed Harry around in getting him to do whatever he wanted and never really made Harry feel valued.

And then Louis, who just added to the jumbled mess inside Harry's head because Louis was actually the opposite of Reid. In public, Louis acted like he didn't care about Harry and would let his friends go out of their way to hurt Harry, even sometimes himself hurting Harry. But then whenever the door was closed and they're hiding behind it, Louis acted like a true sweetheart who may actually have feelings for Harry.

So really, it's all a confusing mess, and Harry had no idea what to do anymore. Nick was great to him both in public and in private, but at the end of the day, Nick was still not Louis.

Their quiet lunch was interrupted when a group of girls were making a commotion as they entered the food court. Harry finished up his wrap and set it down on the tray as he looked over to the loud group. He furrowed his eyebrows immediately when he caught sight of the familiar faces, causing an unusual feeling to rise inside his body.

"I think I know them," Harry mumbled more to himself, eyeballing the girl in the front until he was fully able to recognize her.

Nick's eyes followed Harry as he stood up from the table. He began waving his hands over to the girls at the other side of the food court and began smiling widely whenever they recognized him. Harry laughed as Cara was the first one to rush her way over towards him, wrapping her arms tightly around his back and giving him a huge hug.

"Cara, I missed you," Harry sighed against her neck, seeing Kendall and Gigi coming up right behind her.

"Oh, I missed you, too," Cara smiled.

Harry pulled away from her and wrapped his arms both around Gigi and Kendall to pull them both in a hug as well. Once they all greeted one another, Harry stepped back and realized that Nick was still sitting down watching them all. Harry looked down at him with a small smile before looking back at the three girls, only to notice that they were looking between the pair with strange looks on their faces.

And that's when Harry remembered, he hasn't heard from at all since Harry caught Reid cheating on him.

"This is Nick," Harry smirked, walking over to Nick and placing his hand on top of Nick's shoulder. He looked at each one of them up and down with a snarky look on his face before masking it into a friendly smile. "We're on a date right now, but I saw you guys walk in, and I had to say hello. It's been a while."

Cara widened her eyes as she looked between the both of them, nibbling on her bottom lip as she subtly turned to Kendall. Kendall twitched the side of her mouth in response to Cara's glance and clasped her arms around her chest, looking just as uncomfortable as Harry was trying to make them feel. Gigi simply looked the other way.

"How's Nadine?" Harry then decided to add, turning his smile into a scowl the minute he saw each one of them visibly freeze. "You know the one who was fucking my boyfriend behind my back?"

Harry could feel Nick tense up the minute he uttered those words. The air between them all was growing thick, but Harry wasn't backing down. He stood himself tall as Gigi and Kendall shied away from the confrontation, slowly taking a step back. But Cara, however, she stepped forward, sizing herself up to Harry.

"What are you getting at?" She asked.

"How about the fact that my best friends stopped talking to me after I moved, and one of them decided to sleep with my boyfriend. That's what I am getting at."

Kendall finally let out a big breath of air and came up to stand next to Cara, cautiously putting her hand on her back, "Look, we can't control what Nadine does."

"It's not our fault she slept with your boyfriend," Gigi cut in innocently, but even Harry could hear the tone in her voice as if there was more to the story.

Harry rolled his eyes and took a step back from them, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly, "Please. You all knew considering you lot are attached to the hip, and you all decided to choose her side," Harry accused, noticing none of them were ready to fight him on that. "So, what? Did you guys have a round with Reid as well? I know how much you like to pass boys around in your group."

Harry was really asking the question rhetorically and not expecting any of them to actually fess up, but there was a heavy silence that weighed after he finished. The heavy silence fell straight on Cara while Gigi and Kendal pressed their lips in a fine line and stared at the back of Cara's head.

"What?" Harry slouched right away when his eyes made contact with Cara's, noticing the guilt and regret starting to flood all over her face.

Now, that was something Harry definitely wasn't expecting. Not Cara out of all his friends.

"Harry, he told me you two were broken up, and I didn't know-" she started, but Harry's bitter laugh made her shut her mouth immediately.

Nick shifted in his seat and awkwardly stood up next to Harry. Harry was fighting hard with himself not to cry or show any sign of weakness, and Nick must have guessed as much. He placed his hand low on Harry's back as he leaned in close to his ear, whispering a gentle "let's go," before he was slowly starting to pull Harry' away.

"You know," Harry began before he let Nick drag him away, "Karma is going to come back to bite you in the ass one day, and I hope I'm the one that's doing it."

Harry held Cara's gaze for a solid few seconds until his phone buzzed on the table. Harry immediately slumped his shoulders as he looked over to the sound that distracted him, and he shouldn't have expected anyone else other than Louis to be constantly sending him messages. Harry chewed the inside of his cheek as he reached over to grab his phone, but whenever he looked back over at Cara, he noticed her eyes staring widely at the phone in his hand.

So, she may have seen Louis' ID on his lock screen, but Harry didn't even give her a chance to question him at all before Harry finally let Nick drag him away. Harry held his head up the whole way out of the food court. He knew the three girls were staring off at them, especially where Nick had his arm wrapped around Harry's waist.

When the finally disappeared down a turn away from the food court, Harry stepped away from Nick and slumped himself up against the wall. Harry let out a loud groan whilst running his hands down the sides of his face, hoping he could alleviate any of the stress that just came weighing down on him.

"So I have officially met the cheerleaders of West Point," Nick joked, giving Harry a weak smile whenever he finally looked over at him.

"Supposedly my best friends who begged me to message them every day," Harry admitted with a laugh.

"And that front one slept with your boyfriend?"

"Apparently," Harry sighed, finally pushing himself off the wall and walking towards Nick's side.

Harry didn't want this little run in to completely ruin the nice time they were having, so Harry brushed everything off with a smile and lead them both to more stores. Harry even got ahead of himself and reached down to grab Nick's hand, lacing their fingers together as they walked through the mall. It wasn't necessarily supposed to be romantic, but Harry felt like he needed it at the moment to have some sense of safety with Nick.

Nick ended up buying Harry a few things whenever they came across a store that had peaked Harry's interest, and although the sentiment was nice, Harry really didn't feel comfortable with Nick buying him anything. It wasn't like they were officially dating, and Harry really didn't want to give that impression with Nick since the entire time the two of them have been together, Harry had been comparing Nick to Louis.

It wasn't fair, but Harry couldn't help himself in thinking about the ways he felt when he was with either one. Louis may be confusing and a complicated person to be around, but Harry loved being around Louis. Harry couldn't explain it, but he loved the feeling that grew inside of him whenever he was in Louis' presence. He always felt jittery and light on his feet, feeling things that Harry hadn't ever felt before.

But with Nick, Harry's noticed he's just a good person. He's easy to be with, and not in a sense of someone to date, but more in a sense that Harry saw him as a great friend for himself. Harry hated that he had already internally friend-zoned Nick, but he couldn't see him as anything more even though Nick really did treat him right. And Nick wanted Harry. It's so blatantly obvious that he did, it's just that Louis was always there in the back of Harry's mind that kept him from fully committing.

Harry figured if he ever, truly wanted to find someone to settle down with, then he was going to have to get over Louis eventually.

They stayed at the mall for a couple more hours before they were leaving in Nick's car. Nick drove Harry home with the radio playing in the background and no words being spoken between the two. They had a comfortable silence again that Harry really was appreciating, but his phone continuously buzzed in his pocket in which prevented him from enjoying his look out the car window.

Harry knew it was Louis considering he had been the only person he's texted these days, but Harry wasn't in the mood to entertain him right now. If Harry really wanted to get over Louis, then he needed to stop aiding to him whenever Louis asked for something. Like now, Harry wanted to ignore the message so that he could focus on his somewhat date with Nick and hope that soon enough, his feelings for Louis would be replaced by feelings for Nick.

When Nick pulled up to Harry's house, he turned his car off and walked Harry to the front door. He took the shopping bags that Harry had bought and ended up carrying those all the way up to Harry's porch. Whenever they got to the door, Harry smiled as he turned towards Nick.

"I had fun today."

"Me too," Nick replied a little too excited, clearing his throat and awkwardly looking down. "Sorry, about your friends," he then added with a small frown.

"It doesn't matter," Harry eased back, reaching out to touch Nick's arm. "The date was still super fun."

"So it _was_ a date?" Nick blushed.

"Yeah, it was."

Nick sighed in relief, almost like this weight had been lifted off his shoulders and all his prayers have been answered. Harry dropped his hand from Nick's bicep and looked up at him with a gentle smile. Nick took that chance to scoot himself closer to Harry until the tips of their shoes were touching. He then reached his hand up and gently pushed a stray piece of hair behind Harry's ear, causing Harry to close his eyes at the soft touch.

After that, Nick brushed the backside of his knuckles lightly down Harry's cheek before he was cupping the side of Harry's jaw. Harry finally opened his eyes and realized that Nick was now much closer to his face. He watched as Nick's eyes flicked down to his lips before he was staring wildly back into Harry's eyes.

Then, Nick started to inch himself forward, getting close enough to where his lips were hovering right above Harry's. Harry's eyes fluttered closed when Nick closed the gap to let their mouths pressed together in a gentle kiss. Harry wished he could say fireworks went off in his head and a spark was ignited within his body, but the minute their lips met, Harry honestly felt nothing.

Harry felt absolutely nothing in the kiss. It felt empty. Nearly similar to the way when Harry kissed Reid. It wasn't making him crave more or constantly think about Nick's lips. If anything, it made Harry start to think about his kisses with Louis and how much he craved Louis' lips.

Nick pulled back slowly from the kiss with a big smile on his face. Harry opened his eyes first and gulped once seeing the pure joy of happiness on Nick's face. He stepped back a little so Nick had some space once opening his own eyes, and Harry quickly pulled himself together to give Nick a smile when they looked back at each other.

"See you at school?" Nick asked hopefully.

"Y-yeah," Harry stuttered, swallowing down the lump in his throat and giving a curt nod.

Nick bit his lip and quickly leaned in to press another quick kiss to Harry's lips. After that, he left with a hug and Harry standing on his front porch wishing that he could be kissing Louis instead.

 

//

 

Harry pulled into his parking spot at school with a loud sigh escaping. He turned his car off and continued to sit in the driver's seat so he could look out the front window. He surveyed the area for a bit before he got bored and decided to fix his hair up.

He pulled his mirror down and tied his hair back in a bun. His hair was at a good enough length to where he was able to tie it up if he wanted to, but he normally ended up with a little nub of hair on his head. After he finished tying his hair back, he took a second to stare at his reflection in the mirror, letting out another breathy sigh at the mere thought of having to see Louis today.

After a few minutes of sitting there, Harry finally gained enough courage to step out his car and head towards school. He had a lot on his mind from his pretty eventful weekend. Considering the first thing that happened to him was Louis leaving his place to go straight to El's, right after Harry made the video for Louis, then Harry ended up going on the date with Nick where they kissed and held hands. Oh, and Harry couldn't forget the fact that he saw his friends and learned that his best friend of them all had sex with his ex.

So, pretty eventful.

As Harry walked closer to the front entrance of the school, he noticed Louis standing down by one of the cinder blocks of the front staircase. He seemed to be scanning the area looking for someone. His face showed that he was worried and frantic, with the way his eyes were darting from person to person and his teeth chewing hard on his bottom lip.

Harry tried his best to ignore the distressed look on Louis' face and make himself go unnoticed, he really vowed to get himself over Louis, so he had to start pushing him away. Except, Louis then darted his eyes straight to Harry, and they made eye contact. All the stress and worry seemed to immediately wash off Louis' face because he relaxed and even cracked a smile.

Harry was thankful when Nick walked up and cut his eye contact with Louis off. Harry felt his own body relax as he briefly looked up at Nick to show him how thankful he was to have walked in the way, but Nick had a better idea and leaned forward to wrap his arms around Harry's body, pulling him in tight for a hug.

Harry briefly tensed into the hug, but he reminded himself that he was trying. So he relaxed his body and hesitantly wrapped his arms around Nick's neck. His eyes were then able to find Louis' again, except this time, Louis' face had darkened to one of anger before he was leaving his spot to walk up the steps. Harry bit his lip as he watched Louis until he disappeared through the school doors, trying not to feel anything about it, but he couldn't help the feeling that was telling him to chase after Louis.

"Hey," Nick greeted, pulling back from the hug to press a quick kiss to Harry's lips. Harry's eyes widen rapidly and his heart started beating faster when Nick's lips rested up against his. Harry tried to calm his mind down and make it seem like he was kissing back, but Nick was already pulling away before Harry could give him anything.

"I have to go to a conference today, but want to meet up later?" Nick then asked when he stepped aside, giving Harry a hopeful smile.

Harry agreed hesitantly, not wanting to disappoint Nick in any way but also not allowing himself to still be waiting on Louis. It didn't hurt to agree with another meet up with Nick. They really did have fun on Saturday when they hung out, so another time really couldn't hurt anyone. Except for the kissing. Harry could do without the kissing.

The two parted ways with another dreadful kiss, and then Harry was heading into the school. The minute he walked through the front doors and stepped foot in the hallway, he felt a rush of uneasiness flush all over his body. Harry surveyed the area to see if anyone was looking at him or talking about him, this strange sense of paranoia now taking over him.

In reality, no-one was even paying attention to him, but there was a red flag going off in Harry's head that was making him feel on full alert. Harry slowly stepped forward as he tried making his way to his locker without being so paranoid, but he caught sight of a few cheerleaders in the corner actually staring at him with pure disgust across their face.

Harry gulped as he ignored them and continued his way to his locker. He made it far enough without anyone else looking at him. When he got his locker open, he quickly shoved himself close to hide his head inside. He needed to relax his mind and calm his breathing down. All the signs in his head were telling him that those cheerleaders were purposely looking at him that way and possibly gossiping about him. But Harry had no idea for what.

After Harry gave himself a few seconds to relax with his head shoved in his locker, he grabbed some of his books and closed his locker. He turned around to make his way towards his first class, but he then noticed Stan and his little group all huddled in the corner by the restroom. They were surrounded by a phone that Stan was holding, and they were all laughing at something that was on the screen.

Harry didn't think much of it, but when all of their faces turned his way and directed their laughter towards Harry, that's when Harry's heart stopped.

"You really are a cock sucking Queen, aren't you?" Stan questioned with a smirk.

Harry widened his eyes as Stan, Oli and Calvin all stepped forward to get in Harry's space. Harry remained frozen in his spot as his eyes burned a hole in the phone that Stan was holding up, wondering what in the hell they were watching. But when Stan stood tall in front of Harry, he turned the screen over and played the video he had pulled up.

Harry's eyes widen comically, and he let out a loud gasp as the video of him sucking Louis' cock was showing right in front of him - right on Stan's phone. Harry's heart started breathing rapidly in his chest as he felt the words being sucked right out his throat. Harry looked over at Stan and saw the wicked smirk on his face as he turned the phone back to himself.

"Did you spit or swallow?" Stan teased with a laugh.

Instant tears filled Harry's eyes as he blinked up at Stan. He saw the pure amusement he was having as he clicked the video to repeat it over and over again, pausing on the scene where Harry had come all over his face. Harry couldn't bear to stand there anymore to be humiliated, so he quickly pushed them out of his way and started running down the hallway to get as far away from any football player or cheerleader.

Harry couldn't believe it nor could he even process what just happened. He honestly could not believe that Louis would show the video of him sucking cock to all his teammates. And he especially couldn't believe that Louis actually sent a message of the video to Stan knowing Stan was probably the only person in this school that hated Harry the most. This was a social slaughter for Harry, and Harry only hoped that it hasn't been spread anywhere else.

Harry continued to run down the hallway to ensure he was at the completely other end of the school when he suddenly slammed into another body. His tears were clouding his vision so it's not like he had perfect sight of what was in front of him, but he instantly knew that the person he ran into was Louis.

Harry's eyes harden right away as he pushed Louis back with all that he could. He then let out a grunt as he stepped forward and went to lazily hit Louis, still embarrassed and defeated so it wasn't much of a fight, but Louis was able to grab on to Harry's arms and hold them close to his chest.

Louis then dragged Harry across the aisle and opened the door to a janitors closet. The minute he closed the door behind him and turned the light on, Harry sized him up again and slapped his hand across his face.

"You fucking asshole," Harry growled, going to hit Louis' again but being stopped by his gentle hands grabbing on to Harry's wrists. "You played me. I made that for you, and you fucking played me."

Louis let out a sigh as he yanked Harry close to his body. He squished Harry's hands in between their bodies as he wrapped his arms around Harry's back to keep him in control and in place.

"I didn't do it, okay?" Louis eased slowly, huffing when Harry let out a loud scoff. "I'm serious. Hear me out."

Harry held Louis' gaze for a few seconds before he defeatedly slumped his shoulders. He ripped Louis' arms from around his body and stepped back so there was no form of contact between him. Harry willed himself to calm down with his heavy breathing and wiped his eyes from the massive amount of tears that were coming out.

"I was watching the video _alone_ in the room, about to - _you know_ \- but then Stan walked in," Louis explained slowly, taking a step closer to Harry once he noticed he was calmed some. "He ripped the phone from my hand and noticed it was you right away. I had to cover it up."

Harry huffed out some air, "No, you covered yourself up."

Louis blew air out his lips as he ran his fingers through his hair, "I can't exactly say that I decided to film you sucking my dick. I said that it got sent to me somehow and that I have no idea who you were with. Possibly someone who was trying to get revenge. Just bullshitted it."

"Why does he have it?" Harry choked out, feeling another wave of tears fill his eyes.

"He wanted to send it to everyone as a joke, but I wouldn't let him," Louis started, "He must have gotten to my phone when I was sleeping and sent it to himself, but I swear I told him we needed to delete it. I told him that this is messed up and not a game we should get involved in. But I _swear_ to you that I'll make sure it's gone completely. Even from my phone."

Harry felt himself relax just the slightest as he slumped his body on an old desk behind him. He sat up on the edge and rested his elbows on his knees. He then buried his face straight into his hands and let out a long, drawn out breath of air.

"You should have been more careful," Harry scolded. "You are such an idiot sometimes."

Louis let out a little hum in response and ignored saying anything else as he stepped closer to Harry. He spread Harry's legs apart with a firm grip on both his thighs before walking his way in between Harry's legs. He pressed himself close to Harry and gripped the sides of his face, forcing Harry to look up at him.

"You've been ignoring me," Louis started, a frown evident on his face. "You kissed Nick."

"We went on a date," Harry replied bitterly as he pulled his face back from Louis' hands.

Louis' face immediately dropped as his arms fell to his side. He took a step back from Harry and looked over at him as if he had just been shot in the chest. "What the fuck?" Louis whined. "Why?"

"I'm single," Harry argued back, using Louis' own words against him. "Since I'm not being tied down to anything, I am free to do whatever I want."

Louis' eyes narrowed and his whole demeanor shifted the minute Harry uttered those words out. His body tensed up and his bright blue eyes darkened as he stepped closer to Harry. He got his hands on the sides of Harry's hips and yanked him further off the desk so that his groin was now pressing up against Louis'. Then, Louis moved his hands to the sides of Harry's face and jerked him gently to where Harry was forced to look at him.

"No," Louis growled, "You're mine."

"Says who?" Harry tested, swallowing down the lump he felt growing in his throat from the close proximity he and Louis were now in.

"Behind these doors, you're all mine," Louis snarled, "Remember that."

Harry didn't get a chance to respond because his lips were instantly being attacked by Louis', and Louis' firm grip on his face forced him to keep put instead of resisting. The best Harry could do was remain still and show no enthusiasm into the kiss, but then Louis was licking long Harry's bottom lip with his tongue, slowly wedging his way inside Harry's mouth.

That's when Harry's groan turned into a moan, and he couldn't help but letting Louis take full control as he melted into the kiss. Harry's hands reached up to wrap around Louis' neck to pull his body closer to his. He felt Louis start to shift his hands to Harry's thighs, gripping his leg tightly before leaning so much into Harry until Harry was forced to lean back on the desk.

"Mine," Louis growled as he bit down on Harry's bottom lip, bringing both of Harry's thighs up to his hips. Harry went easily as he searched Louis' lips for more, meeting his mouth in the middle and pulling on Louis' hair whenever he felt his thighs being squeezed by Louis' firm hands.

Harry felt his body getting hot as he began rocking his hips up into Louis'. He clenched his legs tighter around Louis' waist as he dug his fingers deeper into Louis' back. He felt Louis shift his lips from Harry's mouth to the lining of his jaw, going further until he was pressing hot kisses down Harry's neck. When Louis got down to the juncture of Harry's shoulder, he let his lips wrap around his skin and began sucking lightly.

"He's not good enough for you," Louis finished off with once he pulled back from Harry.

Harry frowned as he sat on the desk when Louis had given him some space. He had some hair fall down from his bun that covered his face, so he pushed those stray strands aside before frowning over at Louis. "I'm not sleeping with him," he reminded.

"Sure," Louis scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest, "That's all Nick wants. A good fucking time."

"That's all that _you_ want."

Louis stiffened as he looked at Harry, willing himself not to say anything more. But that's what Harry wanted. He wanted Louis to say something, this was the time for him to say or do something to fight for their relationship. Harry could easily see that the words were right on the tip of Louis' tongue, but for some reason, Louis brushed it aside, again. Louis wouldn't fight for them.

"Whatever," Louis mumbled under his breath, turning around towards the door.

Harry rolled his eyes and quickly hopped off the desk. He grabbed on to Louis' arm and ended up turning him around so that they were facing each other. Then Harry pressed his hands to Louis' chest and pushed him backward until Louis' back collided with the door. Harry shifted himself and crowded his body up against Louis' while moving his arms around Louis' neck.

He wasn't going to let Louis get away that easy.

"I can tell you don't like me with Nick," Harry began, breathing slowly as he felt Louis' hands instinctively going to his hips. "This feeling you have - anger, jealousy - it's exactly how I felt when you left my place to go to Eleanor's."

"Harry-"

"No," Harry interrupted, frowning, "If you don't want to be tied down to me, that's fine. I just - I'm not gonna keep myself available waiting for you to figure it out. If you are going to be with other people and fuck around, then I should be allowed to do the same thing. Unless that bothers you just as much as it bothers me, then that's something else we can talk about."

Louis' eyebrows scrunched up as he pressed his fingers deeper into the flesh of Harry's hips. "What are you getting at?"

And this was it. This was Harry's chance to actually get things settled on his confusing relationship with Louis. Because Harry knew getting over Louis wouldn't be as simple as it sounded, if he really wanted to get over him, then Harry needed to know the truth. He needed to know that Louis didn't want him whatsoever and was only looking his way for a quick fuck.

Otherwise, not knowing would drive Harry mad. He needed to know something, anything. And this was his chance. He was going to lay it all out for Louis and make sure he had a say in something so Harry knew what to do from there.

"I'm saying that I wouldn't mind it if it was just me and you," Harry breathed out slowly. "Like- if we were only sleeping with each other. No one else."

Louis let air come out his nose at the end of the sentence and closed his eyes tightly. Harry watched as Louis' throat bob from swallowing down a big gulp, and that was when Harry started to feel Louis resist him. Harry frowned when Louis opened his eyes back up and dropped his hands from Harry, literally forcing his own body to resist when clearly Louis' eyes and face were giving him away.

"No," Louis sighed brokenly, blinking up at the ceiling.

Harry nodded his head and tried to fight the tears. He ripped himself away from Louis and stepped back to give them some space between them. Harry's eyes harden as he looked back over at Louis and could see the look of guilt and regret on his face, only infuriating Harry more.

"What the hell, Louis? What more do you want from me?" Harry yelled out, pulling at his own hair. "You tell me _I'm yours,_ and you get pissy when I'm with someone else, but you don't want me fully to yourself? I don't get it."

Louis remained pressed against the door as he looked down at the ground, refusing to make eye contact with Harry. "Harry, it's complicated."

"Then uncomplicate it for me," Harry begged desperately, stepping back to Louis and cupping the sides of his face. "Because I don't do this shit. I'm offering myself to you, and that seems to not be enough. I don't like having a fuck buddy or whatever the hell is going on between us."

Louis blew air from his lips as he held on to Harry's wrists. "Look - I can't do this right now, okay?"

Harry blew another puff of air out his lips and dropped his hands from Louis' face. "Well. Since you won't have me..." Harry trailed off weakly, crossing his arms over his chest and looking to the side.

"You're just going to go to Nick then?" Louis accused, sounding hurt.

"He took me on a date," Harry mumbled under his breath, wiping his eye when he felt tears starting to roll down his cheek. "He wants to take me on more, and he stands up for me in front of people. He isn't embarrassed to hold my hand or to kiss me." Harry paused as he tried to catch his breath, getting himself more emotional than he really intended.

"That's what I want - a relationship. Not someone who is ashamed to be with me," Harry finished.

Louis finally pushed himself from the door and walked over towards Harry. He cupped Harry's face gently and moved his head around until Harry was forced to look at him.

"I _am not_ ashamed of you, okay?" Louis pressed seriously, staring straight into Harry's eyes in the hope he could convey every word truthfully. "Everything right now is just complicated in my life, and I can't give you what you want ... _yet_."

"What does that mean?" Harry whine desperately.

Louis offered Harry a small smile before he was leaning his face closer to press his lips against Harry's. He let their mouths press together for a few seconds before he pulled back to push some hair behind Harry's ear. And it was in that moment that Harry realized no other person could make him feel the way he did when being kissed by Louis.

"I just need you to trust me on this," Louis whispered.

 

 

//

 

Harry headed off to class and planned to finish out the rest of his day without further trouble. He still had Louis' words running through his mind and the constant curiosity over what Louis had meant about their conversation. It wasn't a full yes to being with Harry, but at the same time, it wasn't a complete no. So, it didn't really ease Harry's mind all that much. If anything, he was still just as confused as before.

Louis ended up skipping music class and leaving Harry there with the other three lads. They didn't seem too concerned or fazed that Louis wasn't there, but Harry was once again curious to know why he skipped. He had just been shoved into a closet with Louis not even half an hour before class started, so Harry had no idea where Louis decided to skip off to.

Harry made it in the clear for the first portion of the day without any further harassment. He didn't see any cheerleaders or football players huddled around a cell phone laughing at some video anymore, so that was positive. Most of the people in the school didn't really know what was even going around except for those who were actually involved with the football team. So, Harry felt in the clear so far.

As the hour bell for lunch rang, Harry grabbed his bag of food and headed out towards the bleachers. He noticed Stan and his little gang were crowding up the entrance to the cafeteria, so he tried his best to go the other way and avoid them. He made it all the way to the back hallway and out the double doors before his luck ran out, and he ran into someone.

Harry's breath nearly gets caught in his throat in fear of the person he just ran into, really convincing himself that Stan had somehow followed him all the way to the back of the school. However, it was only Nick, steadying Harry with a heavy hand on his hip from falling backward.

"You good?" Nick questioned with a small, amused giggle.

Harry calmed himself down when he realized it was only him. He blew some air out his mouth and let out a relieved laugh as he stepped away from Nick's hold. "Yeah," Harry breathed out, pushing his hair behind his ear. A nervous habit of his. "It's been quite the day."

Nick gives him a small smile and motions for them to walk over towards the bleachers. Harry takes the way first and can feel Nick close up behind him, even having his hand hovering over the dip in Harry's back. They get up to the bleachers and head for one of the benches to sit down on before Nick breaks the silence.

"So I have heard," Nick muttered under his breath, causing Harry to freeze in his spot and hesitantly look over at him. "The football player's really aren't a quiet bunch."

Harry blinked up at Nick for a second before he diverted his eyes to his shoes. He felt Nick walking around him to lean up against the side of the school building, casually watching Harry's face. Harry's shoulders had tensed up, and he didn't exactly know how to respond. Out of all the people, Nick was one of the last ones Harry wanted seeing that video.

"Look-" Nick started, but was quickly being interrupted by Harry.

"It's an old video," Harry blurted, causing Nick to raise his eyebrow. "Of me and Reid," Harry lied, realizing he may have found a relatively good excuse. "He must have sent it to get back at me for breaking up with him."

Harry's muscles started to relax as he told his lie, knowing very well that it was a good cover up. Even he could believe that himself if he said it over and over again. He also noticed Nick relaxed as well, seemingly not as tense since Harry's confession came out. If anything, he looked just as relieved as Harry felt.

"Oh," Is all Nick had said, clearing his throat briefly, "That's..... _odd_."

"Yeah, he is that type of person, though. He hates me now, and he knows I'm hated here so-"

"Hey," Nick quickly soothed, not letting Harry go any further. He pushed himself from the building and walked up to Harry. He reached his hand up and gently caressed the side of Harry's jaw, offering him a small smile. "I'll try my best to get rid of the video, make sure no one else has it still. How about some ice cream after school though to lift the mood?"

Harry gave a tiny smile and tried to laugh at the idea of getting some ice cream. It did sound like something he could go for in hopes it would clear his mind from this video scandal. Harry nodded his head in response before Nick was then leaning forward to press his lips up against Harry's for a simple, chaste kiss - obviously, one that Harry didn't really care for, but hey, he's trying.

As Harry and Nick were pulling apart from the kiss, the sound of the back school door opening and closing was heard. Harry turned his head instantly at the sound and noticed that Louis was standing right at the entrance of the door staring over at them with an evident scowl on his face.

Harry didn't get a chance to pull away from Nick because as soon as Harry turned his head back to him, Nick was pulling Harry in for another kiss. Harry tensed up this time and felt as Nick's hands traveled a little too close to his ass, knowing for sure that Louis was most likely seething in his spot.

Harry let out a big breath of air through his nose just as Nick was pulling back with a smile. "I'll meet you at the front of the school later," he parted with, giving Harry one last smile before he was walking past Harry.

Harry nodded weakly at him and attempted to give Nick a smile, but he knew that there was now a thick tension in the air with Louis being just a few feet away. Harry nibbled on his bottom lip as he turned around to watch Nick disappear back inside, but of course, when Nick passed Louis, the two of them grumbled words to each other before Nick was finally gone.

When it was just both of them outside, Louis rolled his eyes and walked up to Harry. He didn't look at Harry at all, instead, reaching for his hand and lacing their fingers together. Harry smiled right away as he let Louis guide him over towards the bleachers where they normally sat for lunch.

"That was disturbing," Louis grumbled more to himself.

Harry let out a deep breath and removed his hand from Louis' hold when they finally took a seat on the bench. "Where have you been all day?" Harry complained. "What happened with the video?" Harry then questioned.

"Is Nick your boyfriend?" Louis asked instead, twisting his lips to the side and looking very concerned.

"We went on one date," Harry reminded, noticing that Louis was still staring at him as if he knew more. Harry huffed and slumped his back against the fence. "Okay, and he wants to take me out for ice cream after school so we're _kind of_ dating. Nothing labeled."

Louis crossed his arms over his chest, "And what If I was going to ask if you wanted to meet up after school?"

"Have sex or free ice cream?" Harry debated with a raised eyebrow, blinking over at Louis as if he was a dumbass - which, well, he was one in Harry's mind.

"Are you really debating on having sex with me or going to get ice cream with him?"

Harry nodded his head stubbornly, "I love ice cream."

"Well, how about I get you ice-cream, and then we have sex?" Louis suggested with a smile, scooting himself closer to Harry.

Harry let out a breathy laugh before he was sitting back up. He gently pushed Louis back away from him to give himself some space."Louis no-"

"Look, I don't like you with him," Louis interrupted right away, slouching his shoulders.

"What's your problem with Nick?"

Louis blew air out his lips and turned his eyes towards the football field, "Because he is a creep and a dweeb - and I don't like you with him."

"Louis, at least he is trying with me," Harry then cried out louder than he intended, standing up on his feet as he turned his body to face Louis. "He wants to take me on dates, and kiss me in public - and hold my hand. All you want to do is have sex and keep everything behind a door. I don't want that. I'm not going to do anything with you until you get your shit together."

Louis let out a loud groan before he was standing up on his feet as well. He turned his body to face Harry and walked closer until his chest was pressing up against Harry's. He then gripped Harry's hips and yanked him even closer so that every inch of them were touching, and Harry let out a loud puff of breath when he was pushed up against the fence.

"I-Its complicated right now, Harry. I can't give you what you want," Louis cried desperately. "I'm begging you to trust me. I'm doing my best."

Harry let out a defeated sigh and felt his fingers going to Louis' belt loops. "Where have you been all day?" Harry asked instead, not wanting to have another one of those confusing conversations about how Louis wasn't ready.

"Dealing with the video," is all he said.

Harry raised his eyebrow waiting for more, but nothing else came. Harry tilted his head to the side and nudged his chin up, "And?"

"It's gone. I made sure he deleted it off everything. He didn't send it to anyone so it's like it never happened," Louis finally admitted, one of his hands wrapping around Harry's back.

"I'm never doing that again," Harry laughed under his breath, shaking his head with a small smile. "Nick found out, and I had to tell him that it was an old video of me and Reid."

Louis face twisted straight to disgust and let his hands go from Harry's body. He then turned to sit back down on the bench as he rubbed his hands down his thighs, "That is something I don't want to imagine."

Harry sighed as he watched Louis sit back down. He noticed Louis was twisting his lips to the side and staring off at the pitch in front of him as if he was thinking really hard about something. Louis must have felt Harry's eyes staring at the side of his face because he was then turning his head and blinking up at Harry expectedly.

"Look," Harry began, sitting down on the bench below Louis and turning around to face him. "Louis, I'm not going to do anything with you anymore. My whole relationship with Reid was based on a lie, and I don't want the same thing with us. I don't want to feel the way I did when I was with him, and sometimes you make me feel that way. Reid was ashamed of me and always treated me differently around certain people, and I really can't deal with that again."

Louis blinked a couple of times as he clasped his hands together in his lap. He licked his lips and looked back over towards the field with a loud sigh escaping his lips. Harry frowned at his reaction, once again seeing the want in Louis' face but physically seeing himself resist it all.

"I know you're not out yet," Harry continued slowly, seeing Louis' face twist.

"I'm not gay," He interrupted.

Harry rolled his eyes but didn't comment about the blatant lie. "But if you're still confused about yourself and with the influence your friends have over you, then I really don't want to put myself in the position of getting hurt. I am not a sex toy that you can use when you need to get off. I have feelings, and I want romance, and I know that if we keep this charade up between the both of us then I'm the one that's going to end up heartbroken."

Louis remained quiet once Harry finished, not even bothering to look Harry's way. Harry gave him a couple of minutes to maybe gather his thoughts or to process what Harry told him, but all Louis did was continuously blink his eyes. Harry grew frustrated the longer Louis just sat there, so he eventually got fed up and stood himself up with a growl.

"Don't say anything, then," Harry snapped, grabbing his stuff and stomping down the steps. "You need to grow the hell up, Louis. I don't know why you're so against being in a relationship, but you're going to be alone for the rest of your life if you continue this."

Harry didn't wait to hear any more excuses from Louis as he continued to stomp his way inside the school. This was a good enough sign that Harry really needed to give up on Louis. He couldn't just wait around until the day Louis finally decided that he wanted something. Harry didn't want to be the person to fix Louis when he was so unchangeable. Louis' mind was already made up, and none of it concerned Harry.

Harry continued trudging his way through the hallway until his eyes landed on Stan and Taylor. The two of them were having some sort of conversation up against the lockers, and Harry had enough fire in his system to actually approach him on his own.

Harry walked straight up to Stan and pushed his forearm up against his neck. He then pushed Stan back so he was forced to be pinned against the locker. Stan's eyes widen right away at the surprise attack and tried to pry Harry's hands off of him, but Harry pressed harder, causing Stan's airway to be blocked.

"What the hell is your problem fag?" Stan spat out.

"You know you talk a lot of mad shit about me being gay, but how many times did you watch that video of me, huh?" Harry yelled out, ending up spitting in Stan's face and pushing harder against his throat. "If you're so damn scared that you're going to turn gay by me being here, then why the hell don't you move to another fucking school?"

"Styles," He warned with a weak plea, but Harry disregarded that by bringing his fist back and colliding it straight to Stan's jawline.

Harry let go of Stan as he watched him slump to the ground. Taylor was stood speechless as she watched the scene unfold with wide eyes. Harry looked up at her briefly before glaring back down at Stan, stepping forward and pressing the tip of his shoe straight on his hand that was resting on the ground.

"You're fucking lucky I don't report you for even having that video of me you fucking perverted asshole," Harry finished, giving Stan's stomach a nice kick before he was finally turning around.

That was when he noticed a group of people were surrounding them. Everyone was looking at him as if he was crazy, but none of them dared to do or say anything. Then Harry's eyes caught sight of Louis who was staring wildly at him from the other end of the hallway. Harry rolled his eyes and immediately turned around to walk the other way, knowing the doors to the front of the school were just that way.

He got a few steps in before he saw Nick heading his way. He looked worried as he walked up to Harry, slowing his steps down and holding his hand out in front of him in case Harry needed to calm down some more.

"You good?" He asked.

Harry didn't bother to answer the question. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Nick's neck and pulled him straight in for a hug. He instantly relaxed when Nick reciprocated the hug by wrapping his arms around Harry's waist. They could hear some people around them starting to whisper about the whole thing, but Harry ignored it by pressing his lips right under the shell of Nick's ear.

"Let's get out here," Harry concluded instead.

 

//

 

The rest of the week went by pretty uneventful, to say the least. Harry and Nick got ice cream like they said they would after the whole video scandal. It was a nice time to unwind and for Harry to enjoy his time with someone who actually liked him. As for school, Louis had been distant and had finally got the hint that Harry didn't want to talk to him. Plus, Stan was nowhere to be seen so that crossed him off of Harry's worries.

The weekend came a lot quicker for Harry with those days going by much easier without being harassed. He ended up getting tangled into another hang out session with Nick since he asked to go shopping over the weekend and fancied Harry to tag along. Harry did try to get out of it by making other plans with Niall, Liam, and Zayn, but ironically, they were all busy.

So, Harry ended up going to the mall with Nick again.

The two of them were walking hand in hand as they looked at the different stores. Harry figured he could at least benefit himself from this mall trip and maybe go ahead and buy some presents for his mother and sister. One of their favorite jewelry places was on the other side of the food court, so maybe after a bite to eat Harry could drag Nick over there to pick something out.

"So I was thinking," Nick said as he set their tray of food down on one of the tables. Harry took the seat across from him and looked up, ready for him to continue. "I want to take you on a date."

Harry's eyes widen right away, feeling somewhat caught. He reached across to grab his drink from the tray and took a long sip before he was setting the cup back down slowly. "A date?" Harry laughed nervously. "Aren't we on one now?"

Nick smiled, clearly amused, as he leaned over to press a chaste kiss to the side of Harry's cheek. "No, baby. I mean an actual date where I take you somewhere nice and spoil the crap out of you."

Harry blushed profusely as he tucked his chin down to hide his face. He focused more on reaching over to grab his bag of food while trying to remain calm, but the thought of being spoiled always interested Harry. And being spoiled didn't mean receiving a bunch of gifts and money in Harry's context. If anything, he just wanted to be spoiled in love and affection.

Harry would spend countless hours begging Reid to take him on a proper date. They never did anything more than go to the mall or the movies. Reid never took the time to come up with a thoughtful place with Harry, and every time Harry tried to get them to go somewhere beyond the mall, Reid never went with it. Reid had never been big on romantic things with Harry. Even on holidays or anniversaries he never went out of his way to spoil Harry or gift him anything meaningful. It kind of sucked and Harry was romantically deprived.

"That sounds nice," Harry muttered more to himself, liking the idea of being spoiled, just not so much the person who wanted to spoil him.

As messed up as that sounded though, it was true. Harry would love to be spoiled, but unfortunately not by Nick. His mind was still wanting Louis, as much as his heart tried to refuse the idea, but it was hard when Harry craved for Louis' touch and his attention. Harry felt as if it was unfair to even fully commit to Nick and-or be in a proper relationship with him when he was still clearly so tied up with Louis.

Harry may try to resist Louis and push him as far away as possible, but nothing could change the fact that Harry really liked him. Louis had carved his way inside Harry's heart and made himself comfortable there, not even giving Harry a chance to ever remove him. It had Harry stuck in this constant battle of wanting to run away from Louis or grabbing him by the shirt and yanking him close. It sucked because kissing Louis had been one of the greatest things Harry has felt, always craving for more, so it was hard for him trying to push that feeling away.

And even though Harry had vowed himself to stop sleeping with Louis until he was ready to commit himself, Harry still craved him desperately. Harry craved the way Louis' hands knew every inch of his body -he craved the gentle touches that Louis pressed on his hips or on his face - he even craved Louis' body, having his own wrapped and tangled with his.

Louis had shown Harry that he cared. Louis has given glimpses of what it would be like to have him as a boyfriend. He really was sweet and caring when it came down to it. He did his best whenever he didn't let the influence of Stan cloud his judgment, but the most frustrating thing about all of this was that Harry _knew_ Louis wanted him too, but Louis was resisting it all for some unknown reason.

"How about this weekend?" Nick suggested. He reached across the table and picked Harry's hand from where he was tapping it against the cup. He laced their fingers together and smiled over at Harry as he blinked over at Nick.

Before Harry had a chance to give an answer - which Harry knew would most likely be a yes considering he hated hurting people - he felt a firm hand dropping down on his shoulder. Harry flinched right away at the contact of the unexpected guest, but with the wretched smell of smoke and that familiar musky scent aerating straight from the person behind him, Harry had an idea at who it was.

"Harry Styles," Reid grumbled out, pressing his hands harder down on Harry's shoulders and causing Harry to shake free from his hold. Harry rolled his eyes as he quickly flicked his gaze over towards Nick, seeing that his smile curved down into a frown and his eyebrows furrowing in anger. Harry ignored the look and turned around to face Reid, giving him an inquiring eyebrow raise.

"Are you on a date?" He then asked as if he was interested, giving Harry a wicked smile, "What happened to Lou-"

"Why are you here?" Harry interrupted right away, making sure that he didn't finish the name of the person he was about to say.

"Needed a new pair of shoes. I was about to head out until I saw you sitting here. All beautiful and whatnot."

Reid reached his hand out and went to go caress the side of Harry's face, but Harry immediately cocked his head back and slapped his hand away. Reid pulled back with a quick laugh that seemed to make Nick mad. Nick slammed his fork down on the tray and stood hastily up from his seat. Reid's eyes darkened as he flicked his gaze over at Nick, giving him and equally testing look.

"Are you done here?" Nick seethed.

"What's it to you?"

Reid and Nick both took a step closer to another and sized each other up. They looked as if they were ready to attack if anyone of them so much as blinked wrong. Harry let out a sigh and felt the need to intervene. He stood up and walked over to Nick's side and gently wrapped his arm around Nick's bicep to pull him away.

"Hey, he's not worth it," Harry eased with a whisper, letting his finger rub along the inside of Nick's bicep.

Nick gave one final snarl over in Reid's direction before he finally let himself calm down. He turned back to Harry and gave him a small smile. He grabbed ahold of Harry's hand and then their food to leave, but then Reid's condescending laugh was having them turn back to face him.

"Oh, I see," Reid bellowed out. "This must be your new cock, huh? The twat in the video? I always knew you couldn't amount to anything other than being a porn star. No one wonder he's trying to defend you; he needs your mouth doing better things than bitching."

"Hey!" Harry then snapped, letting go of Nick's hand and stepping in Reid's space. "You're an asshole, you know that?"

Reid continued to laugh as if Harry's little outburst meant nothing to him. Harry shook his head and turned back to Nick, noticing that his eyes were wide and looked to be as if he was trying to figure something out. And well, there goes Harry's lie saying the video was of him and Reid because now Nick was probably trying to figure out who the hell it was that Harry sucked off.

Fuck, Harry really needed to calm down before he started freaking out again.

"Oh," Reid suddenly smirked, eyeballing Nick as well and gauging in his reaction. "It wasn't him was it?"

As the silence continued to drag on, the smirk on Reid's face slowly started to go away. Harry watched him carefully as Reid started to think about who it was as well, but it seemed like he came to a quicker solution than Nick because suddenly his face expression turned angry. Harry let out a big breath and grabbed on to Nick's arm to drag him away. The last thing he needed was for Reid to blurt it out.

They made it around the corner and out of view from the food court when Nick slumped against the wall. He ran his fingers through his hair, blinking a few times before looking sadly up at Harry.

"It's Louis isn't it?" Nick guessed, looking utterly heartbroken. Harry's heart dropped right away and tried to come up with something to say, but he felt speechless. "When you and I became friends, his hatred towards me grew. I never understood why but now ... - And then the two of you always disappear together. I just-"

"Nick-" Harry breathed out slowly.

"This video is recent isn't it?" Nick finally looked up at Harry, his eyebrows starting to furrow. When Harry didn't answer right away, he raised his voice even higher, "You're fucking Tomlinson aren't you?"

Harry shook his head right away and stepped closer to him. "We were, okay? But I haven't been with him in a while. I promise there is nothing even happening anymore."

"Are you lying to me?" Nick questioned, "Is that why you're so weird around me?"

Harry let out a defeated sigh, "It's really complicated."

Nick bit his lip and dropped his head back for a moment, breathing in slowly as he stared up at the ceiling. He was thinking for a few seconds before he stood himself upright and stepped away from the wall. He gently reached for Harry's wrist and held on to him, offering a small, friendly smile.

"Well, if you're not looking for a relationship, I am not going to force you into one with me," He started, seeing Harry raise his eyebrow in confusion. "But, I'm also not going to keep trying to make you like me when you are obviously so smitten with him, and I know he can be a very _complicated_ person." Harry nodded his head right away, but Nick still had more to say. "I'm okay with hanging around you if there's any chance it'll knock some sense into him. I'd do that for you."

"What?" Harry breathed out, a small laugh coming out. "You want to make him jealous by pretending to date me?"

Nick shrugged, "I get to spend time with you all the while making Louis mad. I'm all for it," he then let out a sigh. "I can tell you really like him, and I'm not going to be an asshole that tries to force you to be with me. If you just want fun and casual, I can do that, but make sure whenever Louis finally realizes your worth, that he treats you right."

Harry felt the sides of his lips curving up in a smile, "I technically am single," he agreed, "Fun and casual can be good."

Nick let out a laugh as he let go of Harry's wrist. He then moved to grab on to his hand and laced their fingers together, and this was probably the first time Harry didn't feel like he needed to worry. Everything was out in the open. Nick knew about Harry and Louis, and he knew where Harry stood as of right now. So now it wasn't so weird between both of them. Harry felt like maybe this was a positive shift in his and Nick's relationship, and maybe something fun and casual with him could be a good thing.

"That is if you don't fall for me," Nick then teased.

"If I fall for you, then you get me," Harry shot back with a smile, squeezing Nick's hand. "I'll be yours one hundred percent," he reassured right away, seeing Nick give a small smile. "But I do feel better now that you know this. I didn't want to lead you on in case anything were to happen."

Nick shrugged his shoulders as he then pulled Harry along to finish looking around the mall. "I know how these things work. It may fucking suck when you do leave me for him, but I genuinely care for you. As long as he makes you happier than I ever could, then I'll be happy for you."

The two of them stopped in front of a sports store so Harry could turn to face him. Harry gave him a brief smile before leaning over to press a chaste kiss to his lips, nothing more than a thank you kiss. Now that Nick knew everything, Harry didn't feel so hesitant in kissing him. Their kisses could be casual without really meaning anything, and that was kind of what Harry had intended when he just kissed Nick.

When Harry pulled back from the kiss, he looked at Nick for a few more seconds before there was something in his peripheral that caught his eye. He took a step back from Nick and ended up turning his head to look inside the store, but what he wasn't expecting for Louis to be standing there looking equally as shocked as Harry felt.

But it wasn't Louis being in the mall that was so strange. It was the fact he was dressed up as many of the other employees in the store with an employee badge on his lanyard, and when he caught sight of Harry, he immediately turned the other way and scurried out of view.

Now _that_ was something Harry didn't understand at all.

 

//


	6. Chapter 6

The Monday following the weekend, Harry was determined to find Louis. He wasn't in hunt or attack mode or anything of that nature when searching for Louis, but he did have some questions that Louis needed to answer. For one, why the hell did Louis freak out when Harry saw him working at a shop in the mall? It wasn't _that_ odd for an almost eighteen year old to be working, however, the more Harry thought about it, he did start to think of how strange it was for Louis to have a job.

Because well, Louis attended one of the richest schools in Manchester and given that the neighborhoods around are relatively nice, Louis should be financially stable. Plus, with how good Louis was in football, it wasn't like he needed to earn money for University. Surely someone would recruit him and get his schooling paid for.

Even some of the clothing brands Louis chose to wear. That also indicated he had enough money to buy those styles. Often times, Harry did see Louis wearing some name brands, especially his shoes. Also, Louis had a nice car, so it really was up a mystery as to why Louis kept his job a secret. Surely being low on money wasn't the reason for it, but Harry had no clue.

He was just overly intrigued.

The longer Harry stood there waiting for Louis to show up at the front of the school, the closer it got to the start of their first class. Harry kind of figured that Louis would most likely skip music class just so he could avoid Harry and his questions. It was probably the smart thing to do since Harry was ready to bombard him with so many, but it didn't sit well with Harry knowing that he was being purposely ignored again.

Harry decided to give up and head straight to music class. He made it with just enough time for him to get settled in his seat and attempt to clear his mind. However, he suddenly felt stressed and worried at the same time, and those feelings must have reflected off his face because Niall was reaching his hand out to tap him on the shoulder.

"You good?" Niall worried.

Harry sighed as he slumped further in his seat. He crossed his arms over his belly and stared at the door waiting for Louis to walk in at any moment. "I need to talk to Louis."

"What did he do now?" Liam stepped in, already sounding defensive.

"It's not what he did or didn't do," Harry mumbled under his breath, fingers picking at the thread of his shirt, "He's just really hard to get answers from."

"Well, explain," Liam continued.

"Yeah, you're not being much better," Zayn then teased, a weak attempt to get Harry to smile. It worked, briefly, before Harry was pouting again.

"Is it weird if Louis has a job?" Harry decided to ask, really needing to get this question answered.

Harry noticed there was a silence in answering that had him even more curious. He sat up in his seat and turned to look at all three lads to gauge in their reactions, but what he didn't expect was to see them looking as if they didn't want to say anything they shouldn't have. Now, Harry was even more confused.

"What?" Harry frowned.

"You saw him?" Zayn had asked, biting his lip.

"Yeah, at the mall," Harry replied, not understanding what was going on. "I was going to ask him about it, but it seems like you guys may already know some stuff."

Niall was the first to crack with a weak smile, another lame attempt to mask what he knew. He reached his hand out and began patting Harry's back in a comforting way. "Maybe he wants to keep it a secret," he then suggested.

"Why?"

"Just wait until he talks to you," Zayn finalized as the bell to the start of the hour rung, and that was when the front door was also being opened.

Harry let out a grunt as he turned back to face the front of the room. He saw that it was Louis who was walking in right at the start of class, probably not wanting to get there any earlier to have to talk to Harry. He took his usual seat next to the boy and remained quiet as Mr. Reeds began with the start of class.

Harry sighed and nudged Louis' arm to get his attention, but when Louis turned his way, he immediately shook his head. Well, okay then. Really not in the mood to talk, Harry thought to himself. So, Louis ended up ignoring Harry the entire class hour and then stormed out of the room when the hour bell rang. It left Harry walking out the classroom with a slouch in his back and a huge pout on his lips.

Harry trudged down the hallway and tried not to fret too much over Louis, but he really hated when Louis got in those moods where he simply didn't want any form of interaction with Harry. The stumped look on his face must have been noticeable again because when he saw Nick rounding the corner to greet him, he immediately frowned at Harry's expression.

"What's up?" He asked.

"No one will really tell me why Louis has a job. I dunno, it's bothering me."

"Is it weird for him to have a job?" Nick questioned as he continued to walk Harry down the hallway, "Maybe you're looking too much into this."

Harry shook his head stubbornly, "At first I wanted to know why Louis ran off like that, but then the way Louis and the rest of lads were acting made me feel like there is something more. Zayn was the one who told me that I need to wait for Louis to talk to me."

Nick twisted his lips to the side and gave a little shrug, not really having an answer himself that could explain how they all reacted. "Then I'm not so sure. Maybe he will tell you if it is something that serious. If he's smart he should."

Harry gave Nick a weak smile before he had to head to his next class. Harry then survived his next few classes trying to focus on what the lecture was over rather than thinking about Louis, but it was a real struggle to do so. All Harry could do was anxiously twitch in his seat until it was time for lunch so he could hopefully, _hopefully,_ clear his mind from Louis.

Harry made it with a clear pass outside once it actually was lunchtime. He held his bag of food in his hand and for once really enjoyed the quietness outside. He walked over to the bleachers and began walking up the steps when he realized Louis was already there.

He was leaned up against the front railing of the fence with a cigarette in between his lips. He was staring out on to the pitch and blowing out puffs of smoke when he suddenly heard Harry's feet making noise from stepping on to the bleachers. Louis turned his head to briefly glance at Harry before looking back at the pitch.

Harry pressed his lips together and walked past Louis to take a seat on the first row, "Thought you were avoiding me?" Harry asked to fill the silence, looking down at his bag of food and focusing more on pulling his lunch out than looking at Louis.

"I could never avoid you," Harry heard him say, causing Harry to look up at Louis. He watched as Louis stubbed his cigarette out and blow the smoke in the opposite direction. Louis then turned around to walk over towards Harry. "Why would you think that?"

Harry didn't know how to answer, so he shrugged his shoulders instead. He shifted his eyes back down to his lap and began picking at the bread of his sandwich when he heard Louis shuffling closer to him. Then Harry's legs were being opened by Louis' hands, and Louis crouched down in front of him so that he could be at eye level with Harry.

"Hello, love," he whispered with a small smile, gently holding on to Harry's chin so he could press a chaste kiss to his forehead.

Harry's heart jumped in his chest and every ounce of him was begging to pull Louis in close, but he had to fight the urges and hold his ground. So he pulled his face back from Louis' hold and tried to nudge him back out of his space.

"You've been ignoring me all day, Louis. Why?"

"Maybe because you've been hounding me all day. Can't catch a break with you."

Louis said it with a smirk to ease up the mood, but Harry wasn't at all amused. Louis moved from his crouched position to sit on the bench next to Harry. Harry's eyes watched his movement until Louis was finally sat and staring back at him, raising his eyebrow when Harry continued to stare.

"Louis, you and your friends are making this all weird about you working in a mall. I don't understand. What else am I supposed to do?"

"A teenage boy can't work?" Louis decided to joke, laughing under his breath when Harry rolled his eyes.

"You ran away from me when I saw you-"

"I did not run away-" he interrupted, offended.

"Whatever," Harry huffed. "Besides, you avoided me all morning. Didn't talk to me once in class, except for shaking your head at me, then you stormed out of the room to completely avoid me again - and now here we are."

"Yeah," Louis replied softly, placing his hand on Harry's thigh, "Here I am."

"Okay?"

"Harry, what? What do you absolutely want to know?"

"Why is you having a job so mysterious?" Harry blurted out. "Why did you run away from me? Are you avoiding me because I know you work? Do you need the money for school, or what?"

Louis looked at Harry for a brief moment before he turned his head back towards the football field. He removed his hand off of Harry's thigh and instead used it to run his finger through his fringe. Harry could see that he was having an inner battle go off in his mind, and Harry didn't understand what secret he was trying to keep. It looked like he wanted to say something, but Louis was once against resisting temptation with giving in.

Except, this time was different. This time it wasn't about Louis committing to Harry and finally being in a relationship - this time, it was clearly deeper. There was obviously something going on with Louis that was having him so frazzled and worried. Harry didn't want to force Louis to tell him anything. At first he didn't think much about Louis having a job, but after all this fuss, he knew there was something more.

Louis let out a deep sigh before he was reaching for Harry's hand. He laced their fingers together and turned around to face the boy one more time. Harry gave Louis' hand a squeeze when he noticed the troubled look on Louis' face, and it made Harry frown knowing that he had caused this massive distress to Louis all in the favor of finding out more about him.

"There's a reason why I have the job and why the others didn't tell you about it when you asked," Louis began slowly, taking in a deep breath as he blinked his eyes rapidly. "My mum has leukemia, and I thought if I work a little extra that maybe I could help pay some bills since she's unable to work herself. You know, she's a single mum with five kids, I'm just trying to make it easy on her right now."

Harry didn't know what to say or how to respond, but that was definitely something he was not prepared to hear.

 

//

 

There was a beat of silence before Harry yelled out, "HIS MOTHER HAS FUCKING CANCER?" into the phone line.

Harry was still in complete shock at having to learn this new information about Louis. Out of all the reasons why Louis would have a job, Harry was not expecting that at all. Harry couldn't even try to comprehend what Louis was going through at the moment. All this time Harry was so hard on Louis and arguing with him about their complicated relationship that Harry didn't even realize Louis had other things to deal with.

Now everything Louis had told him started to make some sort of sense. Louis couldn't give Harry what he wanted right now because Louis was putting everything in for his mother. Louis had to juggle school, football practices, working at the mall, caring for his family and trying to spend time with his ill mother all the while dealing with his complicated relationship with Harry. Harry felt as if he had just lost his damn mind.

"Harry, calm down," Liam eased through the phone, "She's been going through heavy chemo these past few months, but Louis said that the doctors believe she may be showing early signs of remission."

"I-I can't believe it," Harry continued to breathe rapidly. He realized he was pacing around his room and needed something else to do before his feet burned a hole in the carpet. He slumped himself on his bed instead and curled up against one of his plush pillows. "What am I supposed to do? Can I help? How do I-"

"Harry, breathe," Liam laughed. "Honestly the best thing you can do is be there for him. He may seem like he's tough on the outside, but on the inside, he has a big heart and just needs you to be there for him."

"With sex?" Harry grumbled under his breath.

"No, Harry. He doesn't need sex. He needs someone to help take his mind off things or to make him laugh - in which you do both. Even when you're being a pain in the ass, he likes being around you."

Harry bit his lip when he felt the curve of his lips going up. His heart started fluttering and his stomach began to swoop at knowing he was a good distraction for Louis. And not just _any_ distraction, but someone who could wash away the pain in Louis' life and replace it with laughter and happiness. Harry felt prideful in knowing he was able to do so.

"I just can't believe he's going through this," Harry whispered under his breath, still not having processed the whole revelation.

There was a little bit of silence on the line after Harry mumbled to himself. He could still hear Liam on the other line with the sound of his breathing making sound, but Harry figured the topic was pretty much dropped since Liam didn't seem too concerned with talking about it. If anything, Liam was trying to get Harry to calm down and relax since Harry called him in near tears.

"Are you going to the game tonight?" Liam then asked as a change in the subject.

It was the first game of the regular season for the football team. Weeks leading up to this game had been pre-season tournaments where the football team got to travel to different locations to playschools they don't normally play. Harry remembered reading that Louis was honored as pre-season pick for all-conference forward for how he played in the pre-season tournaments.

Today, however, was the first game where they played the schools in their conference. One of those schools being West Point, but they still had a while until that inevitable rivalry game. Louis had been talking non stop about how excited he was for his last year playing football for the school, and it honestly made Harry's heart happy at knowing football was one of those distractions to help clear Louis' mind and bring a smile to his face.

So obviously Harry was going to the game.

"Yeah, will you guys pick me up?"

"Sure bud. Gimme 10."

Liam hung up shortly after, giving Harry the chance to pick himself up. He walked over to his dresser and grabbed a light jacket before he was walking down the stairs. Harry greeted Robin who was sitting on the couch and then walked into the kitchen where he saw his mom setting dinner in the oven.

Harry's heart only broke a little at knowing that Louis probably doesn't get to see his mom the way that Harry was right now.

"Hey, dear," Anne greeted with a smile when she noticed Harry was walking in the room. Harry quickly masked his face and smiled back as he headed over towards the counter. He hopped up on one of the empty ones and reached for a banana off the rack that was right by him.

"Hey, mum," Harry replied back whilst peeling his banana, "It's the first football game today, so I was wondering if it was okay if I went to it."

"Sure," she nodded, walking past Harry to get to the fridge. She opened the door and reached inside for something, but then she was suddenly pulling her head back and eyeballing Harry. "Louis?" She implied.

"Mum," Harry whined out, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"What? I notice he hasn't been around as much."

"He's playing tonight," Harry decided to reply with, and before his mom could further interrogate him, he heard a car horn from outside the window.

Harry gave her a cheeky smile as he hopped off the counter. He leaned in to give a kiss to the side of her cheek before he was happily skipping out of the house to sit in the back seat of the car with Niall. Harry greeted them all with a smile before the car ended up being silent for the drive over towards the school.

Liam was driving them all, and whilst he had one hand on the wheel, the other one was holding on to Zayns over the middle console. Harry frowned as he looked down at the way their fingers were laced together, feeling himself wish that he and Louis could do that one day.

Not even Reid would hold Harry's hand like that when he drove. He never placed his hand on Harry's leg or wrapped his arm around his neck. The only time Reid ever felt the need to hold Harry's hand was when they were in public, and half the time their public appearances were at the mall. This now all made sense to Harry since he discovered that Louis worked there, so Reid was most likely holding Harry's hand knowing that Louis was just in the other store watching it happen.

They pulled up to the school in just enough time to find spots in the stands. North Bridge was already out on their side of the pitch doing warm ups while some other school - Harry thought they were called Parkland - was taking place on the opposing side. Harry stepped up on to the bleachers, just like he did every lunch hour, and noticed that the stands were nearly packed.

It was different seeing his quiet place in such a different setting. Normally he and Louis sat on that front row and enjoyed the silence together, sometimes they would make out or stare at the field, but now the rows were filled with a bunch of people, and the football pitch was packed with two football teams.

Harry and the lads barely made it up to the first row of bleachers before two twin girls were running underneath their arms. Another girl was soon following the twins down the steps with a frown on her face as she chased them down. Harry turned his head to see where the two rowdy girls were heading towards, but he noticed that they were hugging Niall, Liam, and Zayn.

"Phoebe and Daisy, leave these boy's alone," the older girl snapped. She walked up towards the twins and tried pulling them back from the lads, but they let out a whine and held on tighter.

"They are fine, Lottie," Niall laughed, picking up the girl with pigtails.

"They need to go to the loo so unless you would like piss on you-" Lottie implied with an eye roll.

"Oh," Zayn then pulled back from the other one, looking at her with wide eyes, "That would suck if they-" he paused mid-sentence and started tickling one of the girls that was right by him. She immediately started laughing loudly and squealing as she tried to get herself away from Zayn's fingers.

"Okay, we don't want them to pee themselves now," Liam then mediated, gently pulling the one girl back from Zayn and motioning for Niall to set the one he had down.

Lottie gave the three of them an appreciative smile before she turned her head and motioned for someone else to come with her. Harry watched as another girl walked down the steps to join Lottie in handling the girls. She first went to hug all the boys before she grabbed the hand of the one with the pigtails while Lottie took the other one.

Harry blinked as he watched those four girls take the steps down before they were heading to the restroom. He then looked over at the three lads and watched as they continued on with finding seats.

"Who were they?" Harry asked once they finally sat down, eyeballing those girls from the distance as he watched Lottie picking the little girl up.

"Louis' sisters," Zayn answered.

Harry widened his eyes as he snapped his head over in Louis' direction. He noticed Lottie took all the girls over the by the fence where Louis was now standing. He was reaching his hand over the lining of the fence and pinching one of the twin's cheek, causing her to let out a tiny giggle. Harry let out a shaky breath as he continued to watch Louis interact with his sisters, scratching his head as he tried to process it all.

"Wow," Harry breathed.

By the time Louis' rowdy sisters were making their way back up the bleachers, the game was getting ready to start. The four of them ended up sitting on the row right below where Harry, Niall, Liam, and Zayn were so that they could entertain the girls the whole time. It turned out that Louis' aunt and uncle had brought his sisters to the game because they wanted to be there to watch him play. It was kind of saddening when Harry realized that his mom was missing out.

Louis ended up playing super amazing, which really wasn't all that shocking to most people, but a lot of it seemed to stem from his sisters being in the stands watching. Harry could see how excited Louis was being on that pitch and then looking into the stands every few minutes to point at his sisters. It was rather cute when Phoebe and Daisy - Harry eventually learned their names - would stand up and start screaming for him. It was cute.

But since Harry was also right behind Louis' sisters, that meant Louis had found where Harry was as well. And after every time Louis made eye contact with his sisters, he would then shift his gaze up and look at Harry, making him blush profusely.

Louis made two goals that game with an assist and two turnovers. It was one of the first times that Harry has actually watched Louis played on the side where he got to cheer and support him. He always knew Louis had the skill and was one of the top players in Manchester, but he never knew just how good he actually was until sitting there and admiring what he did on the field.

When the game finished, the score being 3-1, the lads all followed Louis' sisters as they headed straight towards the locker room doors. They were all excited to greet and congratulate Louis on the win, and Harry followed along shyly because well, he wanted to see Louis too.

The minute Louis emerged from the door, Phoebe and Daisy were bombarding him with massive hugs. Louis was laughing as he bent down to press a kiss to both of their foreheads. Then Lottie and Fizzy - another name he learned during the game - walked over to Louis and gave him a hug as well. Louis was being embraced by their love and their kisses, but Harry could clearly see how much he adored it and enjoyed the attention.

Harry waited off to the side with Niall, Liam, and Zayn while Louis was talking with his sisters and his aunt and uncle. It took them a bit before their aunt was dragging them all away towards the parking lot. That's when Louis turned their way and started walking his way to join. Louis' eyes immediately found Harry's the minute he stepped up to their group, giving Harry a smile, private smile that had Harry's stomach swooning with butterflies.

"Louis, you played badass, mate. Always a fucking stud," Niall was the first to say, snapping Harry and Louis out from their staring.

"Thanks, mate," Louis smiled.

"We were planning to eat," Zayn then suggested, walking up next to Louis and patting his shoulder. "Want to join us or are you going with your fam?"

Louis shrugged his shoulders as his eyes trailed back over to Harry as if his answer depended on him. He flicked his eyes down to Harry's lips briefly before looking back at his eyes, curving his lips into a wicked grin.

"I'll eat with you guys. Lottie said they all ate before they came here, and the twins probably need some sleep." he replied.

"Perfect," Niall cheered, already leading the way out, "To the pizzeria then."

Louis rolled his eyes at Niall as he started to skip away. Liam and Zayn both shared a soft smile at one another before finding their hands to lace their fingers together, slowly making their way behind Niall. Then it was just Harry and Louis, both staring at each other with glistening eyes before Louis motioned his head to follow them.

"So you met the crazy bunch, huh?" Louis asked as he followed in step with Harry.

"I did," Harry smiled, stuffing his hands in his jacket pocket. "Didn't know you had a full house."

Louis looked over at Harry and smiled before he was looking out ahead again. They could see Zayn and Liam just now approaching their car and unlocking it to get inside, but then Louis wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and started to drag him away. Harry followed with a squeal as his hand instinctively went out to grab on to Louis' shirt, letting his body easily be dragged the opposite way Liam's car was.

Harry's back was then being pressed up the side of something - and when Harry turned his head to catch a glimpse of what it was, he realized it was actually Louis' car. Louis' hands then move to wrap around Harry's waist as he pressed his body further against Harry's. Harry felt his heart skip a beat and his stomach dropping when he noticed how close his and Louis' face were.

Harry couldn't help that his own arms went to wrap around Louis' neck, digging his fingers into the back of Louis' head and scratching gently at his scalp. It really was something he couldn't control.

"What are you doing?" Harry breathed out nervously, breathing heavily as he looked down to see their chests pressed together.

Louis answered by leaning closer to crash his lips against Harry's, wedging his tongue between the opening of his mouth and licking his way inside of Harry. Harry let out a moan as their tongues clashed together in his mouth, digging his fingers deeper into Louis' scalp when he felt Louis' shifting his hands down to his ass.

Louis pressed in for another kiss, getting the exact same reaction out of Harry before he was pulling back with a smile. Harry was breathless as he blinked over at Louis, eyes slightly dazed and mind a little swirly. Louis giggled at his face and pushed a curl behind Harry's ear before leaning in for a chaste kiss to the forehead.

"I really wanted to kiss you," Louis admitted shyly. "Was that okay?"

Harry nodded his head rapidly, already pulling Louis back in for more, letting their lips crash together for another time that night.

Yeah, Harry thought, this was okay!

 

//

 

Louis' fingers trailed down Harry's waistline, moving further down until he was wrapping his hands around Harry's back. He pulled Harry forward so that their chest could be pressed up together while moving his lips feverously from Harry's to his jawline. Louis let his teeth nibble along the skin there before he was shifting his lips down the length of Harry's neck and stopping when he got to Harry's shoulder.

Harry let out a breathy moan as he dipped his head back for more when Louis' lips wrapped around the exposed skin of his collar bone. His legs clenched tighter from where they were wrapped around Louis' waist when Louis began sucking on Harry's skin, leaving a nice purple mark for Harry to remember hours later. All Harry could feel and focus on was Louis surrounding his body and marking up every inch of exposed skin he could find.

Harry was laid flat on the mattress with Louis holding himself above, knees planted in between Harry's legs as he moved his hips up against Harry's body. The sound of Harry's loud breathing and weak moans mixed in with the slap of their bare skin. Harry's fingernails were digging into the smooth expanse of Louis' back as he thrust himself harder and faster inside Harry, hitting him right on that spot that had Harry caving his back and whining for more.

Louis pulled out once they had calmed their breathing down and he was soft enough to do so. He rolled over on to the empty space next to Harry's body and laid flat on his back so he could look up at the ceiling. Harry was already in that position, but he turned his head on the pillow he was resting on to give a look at Louis. The two of them were breathing heavily and sweating, basking in the silence for the moment until Louis let out a little breathy laugh.

"Damn," is what Louis said.

What?"

Louis' lips curved into a side smirk as he turned over on his side. He scooted himself closer to Harry so that his hand could reach up and cup the underside of his jaw. "What happened to not doing anything with me?" He teased, biting his lip when Harry rolled his eyes.

"It was a one-time thing, Louis," Harry replied back with a grumble, but even then he was scooting himself closer to Louis as well so that he could feel the heat radiating off his body. He turned his head just a little to kiss Louis' wrist, using his free hand to pat around until he found Louis'.

"You still don't get me until you're fully ready," Harry reminded.

Louis let out a sigh before he leaned in to press a soft kiss to Harry's forehead, "It's getting there."

"What does that mean?"

"It means - " Louis started with a smirk. He removed his hand from Harry's jaw and instead went to wrap his arms around his waist. He started pulling Harry' closer to him until he was rolling on his back and dragging Harry up to straddle his lap. "It's starting to get easier with you knowing some stuff about me. It's hard to tell you, but _I am_ trying my best."

Harry bent over so he could rest his forehead against Louis'. Louis' hands instinctively reached out to hold on to his legs as Harry's hands went to cup the sides of his face, using his thumb to gently rub along Louis' cheekbone. "What more is there to know? I know why you work. Seen all four of your sisters-"

"Harry," Louis interrupted with a sigh, causing Harry to pull back to a sitting position. "Will you spend my birthday with me?" he asked instead, completely ignoring the topic Harry was bringing up.

"Louis, we are not even together."

Louis rolled his eyes as he trailed his hands to Harry's hips, continuing to move them until he was gripping Harry's bare ass, giving it a nice squeeze and making a shiver run down Harry's spine. "Yeah, and you also told me you weren't going to have sex with me anymore, but look at where we are," Louis reminded with a cheeky smile, giving Harry's ass a playful slap.

Harry rolled his eyes and decided not to commit to anything yet. It was a nice thought of spending Louis' birthday with just him, but at the same time, it was a little strange doing something so boyfriend-y when the two of them weren't even together. Harry didn't really know if he wanted to put his heart through something like that only to know it was a one-time thing and Louis wasn't wanting anything further.

Louis' eyes shifted from Harry's face to the digital clock on the nightstand. His eyes widen at the time it was - which was midnight - and he started to gently push Harry off of him. Harry sat back in his original spot and used the blankets to cover himself up as he watched Louis get up from the bed to start putting his clothes back on.

"You could stay you know," Harry suggested shyly.

"No can do, sweet cheeks," Louis smirked, heading towards the window in Harry's room and pulling it open. "We aren't together, remember?"

Harry let out a loud scoff and reached for the towel that was beside him. He tossed it over in Louis direction just as Louis was shoving himself through the window to escape the blow. Harry shook his head as Louis blew him a kiss before he was hopping down the roof. Then Harry was left in his room all alone, wishing that Louis would have just stayed and cuddled him to sleep. They've never cuddled before, and Harry felt like maybe sleeping with Louis' arms around him wouldn't be such a bad feeling.

Harry ended up going to sleep that night dreaming about Louis' arms around him. It left a smile on his face until morning came, and he realized he nearly slept through his alarm and was going to be late. Harry woke up in a frazzle when his last resort alarm was blaring in his ear.

He got up with a groan and stood up with a wince when he realized how sore his ass would be that day. It really had been a few weeks since he had sex with Louis, so he knew that he would be feeling it today.

Harry quickly got himself up and pushed through the slight pain to get himself ready for school. He pulled in to the parking lot of the school just about the time all the students were clearing up. Harry quickly rushed inside the school and made it only just a few steps in before the first hour bell rang, indicating that he was now late. Which was great considering his class was nearly at the other end of the school.

Harry let out a groan when he realized that their partner poems were also due today, and he really hoped Mr. Reeds wasn't the kind of teacher who had everyone turn it in right when they walked into class. Otherwise, Harry knew that he wouldn't accept the poem, and he really didn't want to get late points taken off because he clumsily overslept that morning.

Stupid Louis and having late night fucks.

Harry quickly got to his locker and pulled out the books he needed for the first few hours of class and then headed off towards music. He still had enough time before he was actually truly late, so he put a little pep to his step and scurried along the hallway so he could make it in time. He made it in the clear until he was rounding the corner right in the hallway his class was in, only to be stopped by Stan who was leaning up against the lockers waiting for him.

"Hello, Styles," He grumbled when Harry got into his view.

Harry didn't even get a chance to breathe before Stan was pushing himself off the locker and stomping his way over towards Harry. He immediately grabbed Harry's shoulders and pushed him back until he slammed Harry' up against the lockers, pressing him harshly and causing the door handle to nudge deep against Harry's spine.

"What the fuck-" Harry tried to question, but as soon as the words came out, Stan was sending a punch straight to his gut. Harry winced as his arms came around to put pressure on the spot Stan just punched him in, but Stan growled some more and slammed Harry back against the locker again.

"I never got to return the favor of you punching me in the face."

Harry blinked twice before Stan was sending another punch his way, this time straight at his jaw. He immediately felt a pool of blood filling his mouth, and Harry cried out in pain which seemed to fuel Stan some more. Stan started laughing at Harry as he shoved him against the locker for another time, making Harry's head hit back up against it and causing his vision go blurry for a few seconds.

Stan held Harry's shoulders up against the locker as his eyes began scanning all over his face. Harry was blinking and trying his best not to swallow the blood in his mouth when he suddenly heard Stan letting out a little hum. Harry was then able to finally see straight as he noticed Stan's eyes lock on a spot right on Harry's shoulder. He was pressing his finger to the exposed skin there to which Harry hissed at the touch.

That was when Harry remembered Louis gave him a love bite right there last night. Fuck.

"Well, well well," Stan teased, pressing the bruise harder and smirking when Harry whined. "Who's dick did you take up the ass last night, cock queen?"

Stan continued to put pressure on to the bruise as he then lifted his knee up to send it straight into Harry's stomach. Harry let out another cry at the impact and tried his best to push Stan off of him or to beg him to stop, but his body felt weak, his vision was a little hazy, his stomach and back felt bruised, and his mouth was filled with too much blood that nothing was able to come out.

Harry suddenly heard a door opening and closing from just a few feet over, knowing that it must have been someone from the music class stepping out. It gave Harry a sense of hope that someone would see him like this and maybe help, but when Harry was able to see who it was, he noticed it was Louis standing frozen and staring at the both of them with pure anger in his eyes.

Harry could see it so clearly on Louis' face, the tensed jaw and the vein on his forehead. His fists were even clenched together by his sides ready to attack if Stan so much as did anything else. But other than that, Louis didn't do anything other than slowly taking a step forward. Harry was hoping that somewhere in Louis' mind he was coming up with an excuse to help Harry because Harry really didn't want to get beat up in front of him.

"Oh, hey, Lou," Stan greeted when Louis got close enough for him to see. Stan was oblivious to Louis' face and continued to press Harry against the locker even harder. "Want to help me teach this queer a lesson? Let him know that taking a cock up the ass is all he will ever amount to."

Louis was breathing slowly, calming himself down as he stepped up next to Stan. He refused to look at Harry at all and instead focused on Stan, placing his hand on Stan's back and letting out a small, weak laugh.

"Stan, as much as I enjoy you torturing him, he has the paper that we worked on, and it needs to be turned in now," Louis then explained, hoping it would knock some sense into him. "The last thing I need is to fail a damn assignment because this kid can't even make it to class without causing trouble."

Harry rolled his eyes at the remark, but in all fairness, Stan did release him. Harry was able to hold himself up for a few seconds, long enough for Stan to walk away and leave them alone, before his legs started to wobble and his knees gave out. Louis' eyes widen right away as he rushed forward and hooked his arms under Harry's, easing him up so he didn't hurt himself falling.

"I got you," Louis whispered, pulling all of Harry's weight on him and attempting to drag him to the closest bathroom. "I'm so fucking sorry," he mumbled to himself.

They made it safely inside the washroom without any trouble other than Louis struggling to drag Harry along. He positioned Harry up against the sink and gripped his hips to help him up. Harry sat his bum on the counter and leaned the side of his body up against the wall. He was breathing slowly and growing tired as he watched Louis scrambling for a paper towel to wet.

Once Louis had the paper towel, he walked in between Harry's legs and blinked up at him sadly. He surveyed Harry's face for a few seconds before he started to gently wipe the blood off his chin, letting out a sigh once he noticed the bruise that was forming.

"What happened?"

"For when I punched him," Harry whispered under his breath. Louis sighed in response and dropped the paper towel off to the side. He looked at Harry again with a frown before he wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and leaned in to give him a hug.

"Louis, it's okay," Harry sighed in response. "It happened before you were even there."

Louis pulled back hesitantly from Harry to look at him again. His fingers reached up and gently ran along the bruise forming on Harry's jaw. Harry closed his eyes and winced a little, so Louis pulled his fingers back quickly. He instead went and helped Harry off the counter to stand on his feet. He kept his hands close to Harry's hips in case his legs wanted to give out again, but Harry really didn't want Louis to keep looking at him like that.

"We have a poem to turn in," Harry decided to ease the mood up, even leaning forward to press his lips carefully against Louis'.

Louis pulled away with another sigh and nodded his head. He helped Harry clean himself up some more so he didn't look like he just got beaten. The only true sign was the small bruise on his chin, but other than he looked presentable.

The two of them left the restroom and headed back towards music. Louis stopped by to pick up the books that Harry dropped and handed them to him before they were walking through the door. Mr. Reeds was already at the piano turned towards them as if he was waiting for Louis to return with Harry, and he watched the two of them carefully as they took their spots at the front of the class.

"Welcome," he grumbled, "Now will you please present the poem the two of you wrote?"

Harry nodded his head and walked over to the podium at the front of the class. Louis followed behind and stood next to him, and both of them looked down at the paper to read their poem. 

_I might never be your knight in shining armor_

__I might never be the one you take home to mother_ _

_And I might never be the one who brings you flowers_

_But I can be the one, be the one tonight_

 

_When I first saw you_

__From across the room_ _

_I could tell that you were curious_

_Oh, I hope you're sure_

_What you're looking for_

_'Cause I'm not good at making promises_

 

_But if you like causing trouble up in hotel rooms_

__And if you like having secret little rendezvous_ _

_If you like to do the things you know that we shouldn't do_

_Then I'm perfect_

_Yeah, I'm perfect for you_

 

By the time they finished reading off the poem they wrote, everyone in the class was clapping their hands. Mr. Reeds even gave them an approving nod and a small smile that indicated their poem was pretty good. Harry and Louis both turned their paper in and went up to their seats so Mr. Reeds could finish off the rest of the class.

When the end of the hour bell rang, everyone in the class had presented their poems. Harry walked out with Niall, Liam, and Zayn while Louis patted Harry's back secretly before he was heading the other way to meet with some other people. Once they were alone, Harry could feel something weird going on between them all, and when he turned his head, he noticed Niall was staring at him as if he was trying to figure something out.

"You wrote that?"

"Uh, yeah," Harry swallowed, "Louis and I did."

Zayn let out a thoughtful hum, "So are you guys official now?" He then wondered, soon reaching over and lightly touching the bruise that could still be seen on Harry's skin. "He left you a good mark right there."

"No, we are not together, okay? He's still not ready," Harry groaned, consciously going up to cover the bruise that seemed to be such a popular topic

"You guys fucked," Niall blurted out again, causing Harry to blush red.

"Blunt," Liam mumbled.

"Look. Louis has a lot going on, you three know first hand," Harry started to explain, stopping off to the side of the hallway so he could look at the three of them. "I really am sorry this is happening with his family, but he treats me like shit. He is an asshole to me at school. Lets his friends beat the shit out of me, and he talks horribly to me in front of everyone. Why would I want to be with him?"

"Because you're in love with him," Niall stated bluntly - once again, "Despite all the other shit."

Harry's eyes widen at the accusation, and his breath got caught in his throat, turning to Liam and Zayn to see what they thought. The two of them didn't even look phased that Niall accused Harry of being in love with Louis, if anything, they were agreeing with Niall. Harry didn't know how to respond or how to react, mainly just tripping over his words and continuously looking between all of them like they had the answer for him.

"Well," Niall pressed, looking at Liam and Zayn for help. "I'm not wrong."

Zayn shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head, "It makes sense. It may be a deep down love you have for him, but the feeling is definitely there. It explains why you keep going back to him after you say so many times you're done."

Harry chewed on his bottom lip as he looked down at his shoes, "Well, I do like him a lot. I just - it's _complicated_ I guess."

Liam let out a loud sigh as he stepped in between Harry and the other two. He placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder as he looked between them all. "Look, let's go to class. We can interrogate Louis and Harry's love life some other time."

"Thank you," Harry breathed out in relief, hoping he could go the rest of the day not having any talk about him and Louis' relationship. Because even he didn't know where the two of them stood with each other.

 

//


	7. Chapter 7

Winter hols couldn't come fast enough for Harry, but after a dreadful few months, it was finally there. They had a few weeks off from school to celebrate Christmas and The New Year. It was a much-needed escape from school that Harry needed, however, it still didn't get him out of the inevitable birthday trip that Louis wanted them to go on. Harry was flattered enough that Louis wanted to spend his birthday with him, but at the same time, it left Harry even more confused about the status of their relationship.

They're not together. Not exclusive. Louis wasn't ready to be with Harry yet, but he still tried to find ways to spend time together. At least Louis was still making an attempt to be with Harry, as confusing and as lame as it was, so Harry could appreciate that much. However, it never really did make anything easier between the two of them, and it had Harry feeling continuously confused about their relationship.

"Dude," Harry heard Niall call out, only to realize that he had been staring at the wall for the past ten minutes.

Harry had invited Niall over to help him prepare for the birthday trip him and Louis were about to go on. He really needed someone there to calm him down and keep him from freaking out. It only took half an hour of Niall being there before Harry's mind started going all over the place about what to except for Louis' birthday.

"Sorry," Harry shook his head, turning to face Niall where they were sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm just really nervous I suppose."

"Mate, it's going to be fine. Me and the lads helped plan everything so surely you'll have a good time."

"Wait, what?" Harry asked confused, cocking his head back.

"It was kind of our birthday present to Louis. You'll understand when you get there," Niall responded with a shrug to his shoulders. He then stood up from the bed and reached down to grab his bag, ready to head out the door. "I got to go, but good luck. Be nice to him. It's his birthday."

Harry rolled his eyes at Niall's comment but ended up flopping on to his back with a little laugh. When Niall was gone to give him some time alone, Harry was able to start thinking about all the reasons why Louis would want Harry to be with him on his birthday. He had no idea where they were going or what all was planned, but if Niall and the boys set everything up, then surely they would have a good time.

But then Harry started thinking some more, about Louis and his feelings. There has to be a reason out of all the people Louis knew, why he wanted to spend this surprise with Harry. Harry wondered if Louis was starting to give in to his feelings like Harry had been doing for a while. Maybe this was the moment the two of them could push past their fling and really become a couple.

All those thoughts and questions swarming around Harry's head were soon halted when his phone buzzed next to him. Harry reached to grab his phone to read the message that popped up, causing him instantly to turn red. _A year ago today. Wow, what a Christmas present you were_ was the message that Reid sent him, but it was the follow-up image that had Harry's heart beating fast.

 _Click Image_ , was what the next one said, and Harry sucked in his breath when he realized what it was. Then another message pinged in saying, _Do you ever think about how my hands have been all over you long before Louis' was? Must be tragic,_ which left an unsettling feeling in Harry's stomach.

Harry's face turned red the minute he clicked the image to see what Reid had sent him. Harry had no idea how this photo even got into Reid's hands considering it wasn't something Harry took of himself. That only meant Reid took the picture while Harry was sleeping on his couch, and that thought alone was more disturbing than ever.

 _WHAT THE FUCK REID?_ Harry typed out quickly, adding FUCKING _DELETE THIS NOW!!!!_

Harry waited for a reply, but it never came. Typical. Harry even stared at the phone screen for what felt like hours until he finally gave up and tossed his phone to the side with a groan. So first he had that video of him sucking dick on someone else's phone, and now Reid had this private picture of Harry in nothing but underwear and knee-high socks that he could easily use as blackmail.

Which, great.

Harry got a few more minutes of peace in the early morning before he saw that Louis' car was pulling up his driveway. Instant relief flooded his system and he was now actually happy to be getting away for a little bit, even if it was just for the day. Harry sat up from his bed and grabbed his duffle bag before he headed down the steps.

Anne and Robin were already gone for brunch, so Harry luckily got to avoid his mother's incisive nagging about Louis and their relationship. Harry was opening his front door and heading through it about the same time Louis was walking up the porch steps. The two of them looked at each other briefly before shying away with small smiles.

"Hey," Louis whispered once he was toe to toe with Harry.

Harry tried his best to mask his emotions and hide the fact that he was disturbed and angry over Reid's message, but he must have not been very good at hiding it. Louis took one look at his expression and instantly frowned when he noticed something was wrong. He stepped up closer to Harry and ended up wrapping his arms around Harry's back to bring him in tightly for a long kiss.

Much needed.

"Come on," Louis mumbled against Harry's mouth, smiling briefly before leaning in to give Harry another kiss.

Harry finally felt himself relax to Louis' touch. He pulled back this time with a small smile, already feeling better since Louis showed up. Louis reached for Harry's bag with one hand and reached for Harry's hand with the other and guided them to his car. He opened the passenger door for Harry and helped him inside before he was closing the door and getting in the driver's side.

Then he pulled out the driveway and started driving towards the mysterious destination. Harry noticed that Louis had a smile on his face the whole time while he focused on the cars in front of him, and Harry could feel himself starting to smile as well.

"So what's the plan for today, birthday boy?"

Louis shrugged in response, "Not entirely sure. I know the lads kind of planned this for me, and that Liam handed over his family's lake house for us," Louis explained, looking over at Harry for a second with a smile before looking back at the road. "I just really wanted to spend today with you if I'm being honest."

Harry bit his lip and tried to hide his blush by looking out the window. Louis giggled as his reaction and ended up reaching his hand over to pat Harry's leg, but instead of removing it like Harry thought he would, Louis ended up resting his hand on Harry's thigh for the rest of the car ride. It made Harry's inside jitter and his face heat up even more. Something so small that Harry always wanted was now being given to him, and he couldn't feel any happier than he did in that moment.

It took about an hour to get out of the city towards Liam's lake house. They spent the majority of the car ride in silence, occasionally talking, but really letting the music wash out their voices. It was nice and relaxing to see all the buildings turn over into trees and the roads disappearing to grass. The lake house was rather small, but it was the perfect size for them to enjoy the weekend.

Once they set their stuff down inside and unwinded, they noticed there was a note on the counter saying there was lunch for them in the fridge. Harry giggled as Louis walked over to pull two plates of sandwiches out along with a bag of crisps and mixed fruit. They took the food outside to the back patio where some of the heaters were already turned on so they could enjoy their lunch with the nice lake view.

"So, what are the grand birthday plans for today?" Harry questioned once he finished the rest of his food, looking over at Louis and noticing that he was already staring at him.

"Well, there's a list the lads made," He smiled, pulling the said list out from his pocket. "Step one was to enjoy our lunch outside with the lake in view."

"Did that," Harry giggled.

"Step two is to hang around the lake for a little bit. Ride the jetski and use the tubes. There's a warning saying the water will probably be cold, but we need to get over it," Louis read off the list, shaking his head in disbelief. "Then there is a dinner planned for us."

"Wow," Harry blushed.

"Major side note, just so you know, I really do want to do all of this with you," Louis decided to add himself, looking over at Harry before reading the list again, this time letting out a loud laugh. "Step four says to get naked and have Harry do the birthday dance on my dick."

"No it doesn't," Harry whined out. He snatched the list from Louis' hand to see if he was lying, but in bold letters were the words right there. There was even a smirking face drawn at the end of the sentence, and Harry could easily tell that Niall had written that step just to be cheeky.

Damn him.

"Let's go," Louis interrupted. He stood up from the chair and reached his hand out for Harry to grab on to. Harry blinked up at him and blushed when Louis was giving him a smile.

He set the list down on the table and ended up getting up with Louis. The two of them walked hand in hand down the grass until they were at the edge of the water. Louis tested the temperature by pressing his toe in, shivering because it was rather cold. But never mind that, the two of them ended up driving the jet skis around for a couple of hours until their noses were getting crispy and their lips were burned from the wind.

Harry was really enjoying his time with Louis. Sure, it was probably too cold for them to be in the water, and Harry might have frozen off his nose, but getting to laugh with Louis out on the lake was really worth it. However, nothing beat when the two of them ran hand in hand up to the heaters on the patio to thaw their body off. Louis even wrapped Harry's hands in his own and began rubbing them together to help Harry warm up over getting himself warm.

It was a small sentiment, but another one that had Harry blushing like a fool.

The two of them headed back inside to get ready for the dinner that the lads had planned for them. The dress attire - per request on the list - was to dress a little bit nicer than casual, so it really was a good thing that Niall had came over earlier that morning to help Harry pack. Otherwise, Harry wouldn't have known that a romantic dinner was set for the evening.

Louis headed to the washroom first to shower while Harry sat on the bed and waited. Louis left just a sliver of the door cracked open, and from where Harry was laying, he could see Louis getting in and out of the shower. Harry tried to divert his eyes and look at his phone, wanting to give Louis his privacy, but it was hard when Harry could see the outline of Louis' body as he washed himself in the shower.

Harry swallowed and looked away when Louis started to wash his body. The last thing Harry needed was to get hard from watching Louis clean himself, but it was really hard when Louis had been treating Harry so sweetly and then walking around with a body like that - Louis was pretty hard to resist, Harry would know first hand.

Louis stepped out of the shower shortly, and Harry found his eyes looking back up his body. His face instantly blushed when he saw the water droplets going down Louis' tan skin and his heavy cock hanging in between his legs, and whoops - Harry really didn't mean to look there.

Louis wrapped a towel around his body and was heading for the door to go back into the bedroom. Harry quickly looked back down at his phone so he didn't make it seem like he was staring. He thought he passed because Louis went straight to his bag at the end of the bed and began looking around for a pair of boxers.

Harry took that as his cue to go wash himself now, so he set his phone down and headed to the bath. He decided he would leave the door cracked open as well just incase Louis had wondering eyes like he did. Maybe Harry was putting on an extra little show just for the sake of it, but Harry had endured twenty minutes of torture watching Louis washing himself so Harry wanted to return the favor - or the struggle.

Harry stepped in front of the slight opening of the door and made sure his back was to Louis. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and let out a deep breath before he was pulling his shirt over his head. Then there was a shift in the mirror, and Harry noticed that Louis was now sitting on the edge of the bed staring over at Harry's bareback.

Harry gave himself a smirk in the reflection before he was moving to his jeans. He took his time as he unbuttoned and slid his pants down his legs, even giving his hips a little shimmy to help get his jeans over his ass. He then bent down, agonizingly slow to make sure Louis got a full view of what Harry wanted him to see, to grab his clothes before setting it on the counter.

Harry stood back up and stretched his back for a few more seconds before he finally decided to walk into the shower. He knew the shower was still in view from where Louis was sat on the bed, so he made sure as he washed his body that he touched every part of himself hoping he was being a good enough tease for what was going to come that night. Hopefully, it's him that would be coming. (;

Harry finished his shower shortly after he finished playing around. He walked into the bedroom, that was now free of Louis, and he pulled an outfit together from his bag. He paired his creamed colored blouse with his black skinnies and tan, suede boots. He put some cream in his hair and ruffled it up so that when his hair dried, it would be curly rather than a frizzy mess.

Harry walked out of the bedroom once he was dressed to see Louis sitting on the couch waiting. He had a glass of wine in his hand that he was already sipping on, dressed in a gray collared button up that clung so nicely to his body. Harry cleared his throat when he stepped into the room, and Louis quickly turned his face in Harry's direction with a smile.

Louis' eyes widen when he caught sight of Harry, and he slowly stood up from the couch. He walked over to Harry all the while trailing his eyes up and down to admire his outfit. "You look - wow," Louis breathed out, hands coming out to grip Harry's hips.

Harry blushed right away as he reached up to cup the sides of Louis' jaw, "I could say the same for you."

Louis leaned forward to press his lips against Harry's before he was pulling back. He moved his hands to grab on to Harry's and walked him over towards the kitchen area where it was now decorated in birthday gear. Harry let out a little laugh when he noticed the balloons hanging on every possible surface and a banner hanging over the cabinets.

"Who decorated this? You?"

"So apparently while we were showering, the lads snuck in and prepared everything," Louis admitted with a smile, "I was told that they were cooking us dinner and getting us wine. When I walked out here after the shower, it was all out here already."

"Creepy, but kind of romantic," Harry reasoned as he looked around the room. He saw the two plates of food on the counter with a bottle of red wine and two glasses to go with it.

Harry didn't question or try to understand how the other lads made the time to get here and set everything up. Instead, he followed Louis in grabbing a plate and walking over to the table. They sat down from across each other and started to eat the steak and shrimp that was prepared for both of them. They ate in silence, letting the soft melody of a slow song playing through the speaker to fill the void.

"I got you something," Harry stated when they were nearly done with their dinner.

Louis set his fork down on the plate and wiped his mouth before looking over at Harry with bright, shimmering eyes. "What did you get me?"

Harry gave Louis a quick smile as he pushed back from his seat. He quickly got up to head back into the bedroom where his present was hidden in his travel bag. He went to grab it before walking back to the table to hand it to Louis, but as he was handing it over, Louis reached for his waist and pulled Harry down on his lap.

Louis looked up at Harry briefly before he was pulling the tissue out the bag. Harry watched Louis' reaction carefully as he grabbed the item from inside the bag, holding it in front of their bodies so they could both see what it was.

"Cologne," Louis muttered, turning it around in his hand to read the brand and the flavor. "Tom Ford tobacco vanilla?"

Harry let out a breath of air as he grabbed the cologne from Louis' hand. He uncapped it and sprayed just a little bit on Louis' wrist, smiling as he brought his hand up to his nose to smell the scent. "It reminded me of you, and I liked the smell."

"Thank you, love," Louis whispered, grabbing the cologne again so he could smell the scent himself. "I love it."

Louis gave his wrist a small, quick spray of the cologne before he was setting it back in the gift bag Harry brought him. He then set the bag on the table and shifted his arms back around Harry's waist. He pulled Harry closer to his body, and the two of them ended up staring at one another for a few seconds before the tension growing between them became too much.

Harry was the one to lean in and press his lips up against Louis', cupping the side of his face to pull him closer.

"You want to?" Louis quickly asked before Harry could lean in for another one, knowing that this kiss was about to lead to something further. And Louis just had to make sure. Yeah, it may have been his birthday, but he didn't want that to be an excuse for them to have sex. He didn't want Harry to feel like he had to do this.

But Harry was insistent on not letting Louis have any doubts because he leaned back in to kiss Louis' lips again. He then got up from Louis' lap and grabbed his hand so that he could lead him over to the bedroom. Harry smiled as he walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress, dragging Louis closer so he could stand in between his legs.

Louis grinned as he leaned in for another kiss, but then he pulled back and reached for a remote on the nightstand. Harry looked over at him with a questionable look, but when Louis pressed a button, the lights in the room dimmed and the electric fireplace turned on. Harry widened his eyes as he glanced over at the fire in front of the bed, loving how the dim lighting really set a good mood.

Louis then walked back up to Harry and cupped the sides of Harry's face, pressing his lips hard against Harry's as he leaned him back on the bed. Louis hovered his body over Harry's while he continued to press Harry further and further into the mattress, making sure his lips made contact with every part of Harry's face and neck.

They undressed each other slowly whilst trying to keep their lips connected together. Once they were both bare and tangled together on the mattress, Harry leaned back on the pillow and let his legs fall open for Louis to rest in between them. Louis continued to kiss Harry as he let his hands travel all over Harry's body, basking in the sounds Harry was making and the way his body was moving to the touches.

They only got a few more moments of this until Louis was pulling his face back hastily. "Fuck, I don't have anything at all."

Harry dropped his head back on the pillow and raised his eyebrow. "You didn't think we would have sex?"

"I mean no. I cared more about spending time with you rather than having sex with you."

Harry ended up giggling at the comment and shying away from Louis' look, turning his head to the side so he could blush in peace. He really wasn't expecting for Louis to act like this during their trip and constantly remind Harry that it was more than sex for him. It was about Louis wanting to spend his birthday with someone he liked and wanted to be alone with, and Harry's heart was tingling at the thought of it.

Louis bent down to kiss the side of Harry's mouth before he leaned over to the side. He opened the drawer to the nightstand in hopes to find something, shoving his hand through all the unnecessary papers and notebooks until his fingers grabbed on to a bottle. He continued to look for a couple more moments to find anything else for them to use, but he had no luck.

"All he has here is lube," Louis held the bottle up, showing it to Harry.

"It's fine. I don't care," Harry whined desperately, hands clawing at Louis' sides. "Just fuck me."

Louis responded with a hum and leaned down to kiss Harry on the lips. One of his hands held Harry in place by the firm grip he had on his hips while the other one was lightly trailing down his stomach. When Louis got all the way down Harry's body, he opened the lube up and slicked his fingers. Harry wasn't expecting to be stretched out by Louis considering Louis never did and always made Harry do it, so when the first press of Lous' fingers made a firm entrance into the opening of his ass, he let out an unexpected squeak.

Harry's body soon relaxed as Louis continued to kiss him while working his fingers inside Harry. He moved them in and out, scissoring Harry open to loosen him up and get him already antsy. Harry was swooning at the feeling of Louis fingering him. He never felt what Louis' fingers could do to him, and he was hitting up against spots that Harry had never been able to himself. Harry already felt his own pleasure building up in the pit of his stomach and moving down to his groin the more Louis worked his fingers, and it had Harry begging Louis for more, making Louis realize that Harry was _close_ and ready.

Louis pulled back from kissing Harry briefly so he could watch as he lubed his own cock up. Harry relaxed up against the pillows some more as he let his head melt into the mattress, spreading his legs out a little more for Louis to fit properly in between him. Louis leaned back in when he was slicked up and used one of his hands to guide cock towards Harry's ass.

Harry let out a tiny breath when he felt the tiny nudge from the tip of Louis' cock breaching his ass. Louis pushed a little bit further until the whole head was inside Harry, and then he leaned forward so he could lace his fingers together with Harry's. He pinned their hands down on either side of Harry's head as he inched his hips further and further, until his groin was pressing fully up against Harry's ass.

" _Oh_ ," Harry moaned when Louis bottomed out, clenching his eyes shut and squeezing Louis' hand, "Fuck."

Louis smirked and leaned down to kiss Harry through it. He worked his lips against Harry's before he shifted down to his neck and started kissing there. Harry opened his eyes just as Louis started to finally move his hips. He started off slow so they could feel the slow and tight drag of Louis' cock rubbing against the walls inside Harry, but when that wasn't enough, he started snapping his hips hard.

His pace quickened up as he worked his body harder against Harry's. The headboard to the bed was hitting up against the wall and the loud, slick sound of their sweaty skins making contact mixed in with the moans and heavy breathing coming from the both of them. Harry wrapped his legs around Louis' waist and dug the heel of his foot to the top of Louis' ass as if that helped him go any deeper.

Their bodies were wrapped around each other and lips pressing everywhere that they could reach. Louis held Harry's hand the entire time as he thrusted his hips harder and faster until he was coming inside of Harry's ass with a weak cry of his name. Harry was following shortly after Louis and squeezing every part of him tighter to his body as he rode out his high. He slumped against the mattress and tiredly blinked up at Louis to see that he had been watching him the whole time.

And then Harry realized, this time was different. Their sex was different from the other times they've been together. Because before it was always a quick fuck just to get each other off, but tonight it was about them. Hell, Louis even made it about Harry as he touched him in ways he's never been touched before.

Louis was gentle and kissing Harry the whole time. He peppered his skin with an abundant amount of kisses and left their hands held together the entire time. Harry had never felt this way before after sleeping with Louis - hell, not even after sleeping with Reid. This was one of those times where the sex felt like love, and because of this, Harry probably had the best orgasm he's ever had in his life.

The problem though with it being over, was that Harry didn't know what to do. Normally they had sex at his house and Louis would leave right after. They never actually went to sleep together or shared the same bed overnight. So Harry didn't know what to expect since they were now done.

But his worries were answered when Louis scooted himself closer to his body, wrapping his arms around Harry's back. He pulled Harry into his side easily as Harry let himself be dragged. Harry rested his head on Louis' sweaty chest and moved to wrap his one leg around Louis' hip, smiling to himself as he cuddled closer.

This was something Harry could get used to more often. 

 

//

 

The wind was crisp and cold as it chilled Harry's bones, nipping at his cheeks and stinging his nose. The snow he was walking on crunched under his shoe, and every breath he took came out as a white fog. The sun was out and shining on the cold January day, but it did nothing to abide by the freezing temperature that was cooling Harry's body.

Harry walked out to the bleachers and set all his stuff down on one of the clean benches that weren't occupied by snow. He was smart enough that day to bring a cushion to sit on so the cold metal of the bench didn't freeze his ass. His jacked was bundled tightly around him, his scarf securely around his neck and beanie covering his ears.

He now knew he had the option to eat inside with Liam, Niall, and Zayn, but Harry loved being outside for lunch. It may have been freezing cold with snow everywhere, but Harry enjoyed the peace and quiet that came with it.

He got a few seconds alone and was able to start eating his lunch before he heard the crunch of someone else's shoe stepping across the snow. Harry looked over towards the stairs of the bleachers and noticed it was Zayn walking up to them. He gave Harry a brief smile as he walked over to him, leaning up against the fence that was right in front of Harry.

"You know its cold as shit, right?" Zayn teased, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket.

Harry laughed, blinking his eyes past Zayn to look at the football field that was covered in a thick, white blanket, "I like the view."

"You could eat with us, you know?"

"I like it out here, Z. I'm fine. I promise."

Zayn still looked hesitant as he stared down at Harry, but Harry gave him a cheeky smile and reached for his thermos. As if to prove that he was fine, he opened it up and tilted it Zayn's way to show it was hot chocolate. He then took a sip and obnoxiously smacked his lips once he swallowed down the hot liquid. It was enough to warm his body a little.

Zayn rolled his eyes in response and went to light his cigarette. He began smoking it idly as he looked around the bleachers thoughtfully. "Do you and Louis fuck out here?"

"No, we don't," Harry scowled, tossing a piece of bread crust over at him. "We don't do anything, really, but sit here."

Zayn let out a little sound and smoked his cigarette a few more times before tossing it over the edge. He wiped his hands down his pants and moved so he could sit down next to Harry. "Anyways, I haven't gotten a chance to catch up with you."

"We just got back from break," Harry teased.

"I meant, we never got to hear how Louis' birthday went."

Harry realized that he hadn't really talked to anyone about it truthfully. Harry had an amazing time at the lake house with Louis. After they made love - yes, because Harry was concluding that's what making love felt like - they ended up sleeping in each other's arms for the first time. Which, that could have been the highlight of the whole trip because Harry finally got to know what it felt like falling asleep with Louis' arms around him.

But the next day was equally as good. Harry really got to see a glimpse of what it would be like to have Louis' as a boyfriend, and Harry really hoped he did the same for Louis. He ended up waking up first on Christmas morning to make the two of them breakfast. Then Louis surprised Harry with a Christmas present that Harry was not expecting at all - it may have earned him a blow job per Harry's gratitude.

It was a cheeky gift. A pair of panties that were black with the writing _Naughty_ on the ass and a little Santa hat on the N. It was cute, and Harry may have worn it all morning just for the sake of Louis - may have gotten his ass slapped a few times, but well ... Louis also got Harry a necklace with a paper airplane pendant, and Harry hadn't taken it off since.

"It was - It was amazing, honestly," Harry blushed, nibbling on his bottom lip as his fingers idly went to twirl the paper plane hanging around his neck.

However, as amazing as the trip was, Louis hadn't been able to talk or see Harry since. They were able to text a few times, but Louis got swarmed with being with his family, getting scheduled to work at the store, and then practicing with the football team to get ready for the second part of the season. So it sucked, but Harry understood.

Zayn looked surprised at the answer and nudged Harry's shoulder teasingly, "There was no fighting or arguing?"

Harry smiled right away, now gripping on to the paper plane and keeping it close to his chest, "No, he treated me proper sweet the whole time. It was like ... It was kind of like -"

"You two were a couple?" Zayn finished for him.

"Yeah," Harry bit his lip, toying with that idea in his head.

It sounded nice. The two of them being a couple. And that weekend they spent together was a major tease for Harry to see what it would actually be like if they were in a relationship. Harry got to see a side of Louis that hardly ever came out, and that was the Louis Harry fell for so easily.

"You guys sleep together?"

"Yeah," Harry sighed, raising his eyebrows, finally dropping the necklace from his hold to let it dangle freely, "But here's the thing, it was different than normal."

"What do you mean, mate?"

Harry took in a big breath of air and looked down at his lap, "He was really soft and gentle with me. It was one of the first times he actually took care of me, and genuinely touched me. He even held my hand the entire time. Plus, we cuddled afterward, and that has never happened before. "

"Wow," Zayn widened his eyes, sounding shocked, "You guys made love."

"It felt like it. Honestly, it felt more real than anything I ever had with Reid," Harry admitted with a bite to his lip.

Zayn hummed thoughtfully before looking over at Harry with a wicked smirk, "Did you guys fuck again Christmas morning?"

Harry let out a snort as he covered his face when he felt his cheeks heating up at the question."Yes," Harry sighed. He pulled his hands away from his face and rolled his eyes when he saw Zayn laughing. "I gave him a blowjob that morning, and then it kind of went from there."

"Did you give him the birthday lap dance on his dick?" Zayn giggled.

Harry rolled his eyes and turned his face the other way. "Maybe," He mumbled, "Perhaps on the couch too."

Zayn lost it, starting to laugh even louder than he already was. Harry rolled his eyes and pushed Zayn so that he would shut up, it only took a few tries before Zayn was finally calming down. They ended up sitting out there in silence for a few more minutes before Zayn was grumbling about how cold it was. He got up and gave Harry a hug before he was practically running to go back inside.

Harry smiled after him and then went back to eating his lunch. He-himself wasn't cold since he was bundled up properly and had his hot chocolate to warm him up, so he felt perfectly fine spending the rest of his lunch out there enjoying the time to himself.

"Miss me?" Harry then heard a voice.

Harry's head snapped over right away as he looked over the fence to see Louis standing at ground level. He had a smile on his face while looking up at Harry, causing Harry's heart to beat faster.

"Where have you been?" Harry asked with a whine, sounding so desperate to see Louis considering he wasn't in their first class.

Louis bit his lip and turned to walk up the bleachers. He walked straight towards Harry and made his way in between Harry's legs so he could get close to him. Louis cupped the sides of Harry's face and bent down to press a long kiss to his lips. When he pulled back, he ran his finger along the lining of Harry's bottom lip, a smile on his face as he did so.

"I was with my mum this morning at the hospital. She was getting some tests done, and I wanted to be there."

"That's sweet," Harry smiled.

Louis moved to sit down on the bench next to Harry and shivered when his ass made contact with the cold metal. He wrapped his arms tightly around Harry and pulled him up against his chest in hopes it would give him some warmth. "It's bloody cold outside, babe."

 _Babe_ , Harry thought to himself with a blush. That was a pet name Harry could get used to.

Harry shrugged his shoulders in response and ended up cuddling himself closer to Louis. He made himself smaller by scrunching his body up and resting his head on Louis' chest. Harry smiled when he felt Louis' arms tighten around his waist and his chapped lips pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

"Hey, so I wanted to talk to you about something," Louis spoke up, sounding kind of distant as he started twirling his fingers around the ends of Harry's hair. Harry blinked his eyes up from his position and noticed Louis looking off at the football pitch, nervously nibbling on his bottom lip.

"I- _um_ \- I want to be with you," he began slowly. Harry's heart instant jumped, and he pulled himself back from Louis so he could look at him, wide-eyed and surprised. "You know, I'm still not _out_ yet, but I do want to be with you."

Harry stared at Louis as he continued to replay those words in his head over and over again. The one thing Harry wanted for months was finally coming true, and Louis was sitting right there trying to give it all to him. Harry didn't even know what to say or what to do but simply breathe - a shaky breath puffing out as it turned into a little giggle.

"Really?" Harry grinned, turning his body so that he could face Louis better.

"Really."

Harry was a smiling fool for the rest of the day as he replayed the moment of Louis asking him to be his boyfriend. It was truly a struggle for him to get through his classes and focus on the topics being taught when he and Louis were now officially together, it was too great of a moment for him to brush aside, so he constantly thought about it. Not only was that on his mind, but North Bridge had an away game that day, ironically against their rival - West Point.

Many things were going on that day, and Harry simply didn't know how to handle it. He knew Louis and Reid were going to be in the same area, in the same field. He knew he was also going to see his old cheerleader friends whom he preferred to never see again, especially Nadine. This was also one of the biggest rivalry games in their entire conference, so the hype for the game was excessive. Harry was also traveling back to his home town to watch the game, and although its a secret, he would be sitting in the stands as Louis' boyfriend - a title that had just happened that day.

It had been a pretty eventful day, to say the least.

Harry drove down to West Point with Niall, Liam, and Zayn so they could all watch the game together. It may have been a nearly forty-five minute drive, but knowing how big this game was, had a lot of the students and even faculty driving to go watch and support North Bridge. And Harry was thankful enough that his old friends were on the field either playing in the game or being a cheerleader, so he could avoid them easily.

The four of them walked up the bleachers for the away side and made their seat on the top bench. They huddled close together with their blankets wrapped around them and cups filled with hot chocolate. The game had started shortly after they arrived, and right after the first kick, it was already an intense game that had students standing up cheering.

It was a constant back and forth battle of who gained possession of the ball, but when it was finally under Reid's control, he made the first goal within the first few moments of the game starting. Then the battle was really in full force when Louis was close to evening the score and making a goal, but a defender from West Point - specifically Brad, an old friend - had stolen the ball from his possession.

The ball went from Brad back to Reid in another attempt to score, but Stan was aggressive on defense and got the ball out from Reid's control. He then quickly ran across the field and passed the ball over to Calvin, before he was giving the ball back to Louis, who instantly went to kick the ball in the top left corner of the opposing net.

Everyone on North Bridge's side stood up and started going crazy. Harry was clapping and smiling like a fool as Louis made quick eye contact over at him, giving him a little wink before he was back to running across the field. Harry was a blushing mess when he sat back down, feeling like an absolute fool at getting so giddy just from a wink.

The moment was shortly ruined when Harry's eyes shifted over and noticed that Reid had just been watching the interaction between him and Louis. And Harry was able to tell that Reid had been staring because he suddenly looked angry and took a mad dash over in Louis' direction. Louis had gained possession of the ball again after another turnover by Stan, and Reid had gone over to Louis and immediately began fighting for the ball under Louis' feet.

The constant battle continued for a couple of yards down the field with each of them pushing one another, but when Reid tried to kick the ball from Louis' control, Louis was also kicking it over to Oli. The minute the both of them went to kick, Reid and Louis ended up tumbling over each other and falling to the ground.

It was pointless, but the two of them continued to go at each other by pushing each other around until the ref blew the whistle. They each got a yellow card, but the game continued on without other physical involvements. Other than the words that were blatantly being thrown between the two, the game went on smoothly with West Point scoring another goal and winning the game 2-1.

Once the game was over, Harry and the lads were heading down the bleachers along with the mass of other students. Niall, Liam, and Zayn wanted to meet up with Louis once he cleaned up after the locker room, and Harry obviously did as well, but in his mind, he wanted to leave as soon as possible so he didn't catch the potential of running into anyone from his past.

But then Harry saw Cara running along the fence to grab his attention, calling out his name and trying to catch up with him. Harry stopped walking and turned to look at her. He wasn't entirely in the mood to talk to her or even forgive, not even sure if forgiveness should be granted. After finding out that his best friend had slept with Reid wasn't something Harry was going to let by so easily.

Harry turned his head and ignored her completely as he went to catch up with the other lads. They all waited around the guest locker room for Louis to come out. Stan, Oli, and Calvin were one of the first ones out, and even though they were in a public setting with lots of adults and children around, Harry still had slight paranoia that they would end up going to him to make a scene.

Thankfully, they didn't. The three of them walked away and ignored Harry completely as they met up with their friends and some cheerleaders. Louis came out shortly and made brief eye contact with Harry before Stan was calling him over their way. Louis gave Harry an apologetic look as he quickly went to meet up with them rather than going to Harry and the lads. .

Harry let out a little huff and deflated.

"Just give him a moment," Liam reassured with a smile, pressing his hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry nodded his head and rotated his body so he could take a quick look over in Louis' area, but what he instead caught eyes of was Reid. Reid was standing over by the home locker room building, looking straight at Harry with an angry look on his face. Harry didn't really know what he was supposed to do or say with Reid creepily staring him down as if he was about to hurt him, so Harry turned back around to face his friends.

"So that's the famous Reid?" Zayn asked curiously, eyes scanning over Reid in the distance before looking back at Harry.

"The asshole in the flesh."

Zayn snorted before he suddenly reached for his phone in his pocket. Not only was he reaching for his phone, but Liam and Niall were also pulling theirs out as well. Harry didn't think much of it, instead, he was crossing his arms over his chest and waiting for Louis to finish up with the others. But then Harry noticed the lads were all looking down at their phone screens with equally shocked faces, and even people around them starting to look at their phone as well.

" _Uh-_ Harry," Niall was the first to say, turning his phone around to show Harry.

Harry's eyes grew wide as he saw the picture of himself in his underwear on the couch, the same one Reid had sent to him over Christmas break. He felt his heart starting to beat faster and his cheeks heating up. He lowered the phone briefly to look around and noticed that a lot of people were apparently looking at that same picture, their eyes flickering from the phone screen to Harry.

So, Reid had just airdropped the picture to half of North Bridge's students. Great.

"Fuck!," Harry growled, shoving Niall's phone back at him

He then turned on his heels and noticed Reid was still in the same place he was before. He was over by the locker room surrounded by a couple of his teammates laughing at what Harry presumed was the picture he just sent around. Harry let out a grunt as he began stomping his way over towards them, eyes set on Reid as anger built in his system.

"You fucking pervert," Harry screamed when he got close enough, pushing his way in between Will and Alex so he could shove Reid back as hard as he could. Reid easily lost his step when he stumbled back against the building to the locker room. Harry's anger only continued to build as he stepped forward to push Reid again.

"What the hell?" Reid snapped once he was able to regain his balance, even pushing Harry back off of him.

"The picture. Why the fuck did you send that picture to everyone here? No, why the fuck did you even have the picture in the first place you fucking twat?"

Reid raised an eyebrow and took a step closer to Harry. The guys surrounding them were starting to laugh behind their hands as Reid reached up to caress Harry's jaw, but Harry snapped his head away and slapped at Reid's wrist.

"Oh, did I do something wrong?" Reid teased, lips curving into a smirk. "I thought whores like having the attention."

Harry held Reid's gaze for a few more seconds before he let out a defeated huff and turned around. He stormed off back to his friends and could hear Reid and his crew off laughing at him as Harry walked away.

However, before Harry made it back to Niall, Liam, and Zayn, Louis was brushing past a few people around them and heading straight towards Harry. Harry widened his eyes as he noticed the look on Louis' face, but when Harry went to grab Louis' arm to ask him what was wrong, Louis brushed him off and kept storming past Harry.

Harry stumbled over his words to call Louis back to him as he turned to watch Louis walk closer and closer to Reid. Then Louis pushed past a couple of the people Reid was standing by and went straight up to him by giving him a solid punch in the jaw. Reid winced right away and stumbled back on his feet at the blow, and Louis used this fall back to push him down to the ground.

Reid fell back on his ass as he held his jaw, angrily looking up at Louis, but Louis was already turning around and walking straight past everyone to the bus without another word.

 

//

 

It was a dark night out with the stars sprinkling the sky and the moon shining high at apex. The owls were out making soft cooing sounds along with the gentle breeze of the night air blowing through the leaves and branches right outside Harry's window.

It was midnight, but Harry was laying flat on his mattress as he looked up at his ceiling to think. Most of his mind was wondering over to Reid and Louis, and most of it was just simply thinking about Louis. The whole situation Harry had put himself in still didn't exactly make sense to him, especially not knowing the entirety to Reid and Louis' hatred for one another.

Louis hadn't made any comment about punching Reid or explained to Harry why he did it. In fact, whenever Harry would bring the subject of the matter up to Louis, he would ignore it completely and get overly defensive. So Harry hadn't brought it up much. Instead, he would do like he currently was and lay down to think about it.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard tapping against his window. Harry jumped at the sudden sound and arched up on his elbows to see what the sound was, but he calmed down when he noticed it was Louis smiling and waving over at him. Harry rolled his eyes as he got up from the bed to let him in.

"What are you doing? It's midnight," Harry complained, but he was still opening the window for Louis. It was then he realized Louis had a basket in his free hand with a bottle of cheap wine poking out from the opening. Harry looked down and let out a breathy laugh.

"Want a roof date?" Louis asked, holding his hand out for Harry.

Harry poked his head out the window and looked at the roof Louis was standing on before laughing some more. Louis smiled at him and set the basket down next to his body and wiggled his fingers for Harry to grab on to his hand. Harry rolled his eyes, but he reluctantly let Louis drag him out the window.

Louis carefully helped pull Harry on the roof with him and ended up sitting himself down whilst doing so. He leaned his back up against the outside of Harry's house, guiding Harry to sit on his lap, keeping him firmly in place by wrapping his arms tightly around Harry's waist.

"I'm not riding you on the roof," Harry teased, smiling as he rested his knees on either side of Louis' hips.

"That's absurd," Louis replied back comically, shifting his hands underneath Harry's sleep shirt. "Who would want to have crazy sex up here?"

Harry rolled his eyes and leaned forward to rub his nose against Louis'. He then wrapped his own arms around Louis' neck and let his fingers run through the long strands of hair at the back of his neck.

"Why are you here?" Harry questioned.

"I don't know. I wanted to be spontaneous."

Louis gave a shrug to his shoulders before he was removing one of his hands from under Harry's shirt. He reached over to grab the basket next to him and pulled out the bottle of wine that Harry had noticed. Louis yanked the cork out from the top and took a couple of sips from the Moscato before he handed the bottle over to Harry.

"So, why did you want to date Reid?" Louis asked, making Harry tilt his head in confusion. "Drinks for questions," he answered the implied question.

Harry let out a hum and took a couple sips himself from the bottle of wine. "I don't really know," Harry mumbled, handing the bottle over to Louis. "He was popular and the captain of the football team. I guess I liked that he showed interest in me. Why do you ask?"

"It's just ironic is all," Louis replied with a frown, taking a quick sip from the bottle before handing it back. "Your turn to ask."

"Why is it ironic?" Harry decided to ask right back, raising his eyebrow as he took a drink from the bottle.

"I already told you why," Louis sighed, "When I noticed you at the game and stupidly ask Reid if he knew you - which he said he'd never seen you before - I ended up trying to find you everywhere. I mean obviously, I had a girlfriend at the time, even though we were on the verge of breaking up. But Reid had known I was interested in you, and then barely a week later he screwed my girlfriend and then started dating you."

"So you think Reid used me when we were dating?"

Louis didn't answer. Instead, he proceeded to take a drink of wine before asking his next question.

"Why don't you still talk to your friends at West Point?"

"Because I caught one of them sleeping with my boyfriend at the time, and then I found out that my best friend out of all of them had slept with him too." Harry snatched the bottle out of Louis' hold and took a longer sip, finishing with a sigh. "Why did you punch Reid?"

Louis bit down on his bottom lip while staring up at Harry. His arms tightened around Harry as he instinctively pulled him closer to his body. Harry fell forward with a grunt, having their chests flushed together and face mere inches apart.

"He sent that picture of you, and I didn't find it very amusing. Plus, we already had an issue with the video so."

"Being protective?" Harry blushed, "Or possessive?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Either way, he was a fucking dick for doing that. It's your body, and it's not the first time he's done something like that. You definitely shouldn't have to put up with any of that shit."

"Not the first?" Harry tilted his head back, frowning at Louis.

Louis leaned up quickly and sealed his lips against Harry's. He let their mouths rest up against each other for a couple of moments before he was pulling back with a sigh. Harry furrowed his eyebrows once he reopened his eyes, and Louis reached his hand up to brush some hair out of Harry's face.

"You remember hearing about how Reid and I fought at the McDonalds a couple of years back?"

Harry nodded his head in remembering exactly what Louis was talking about. It had been the hot gossip for months that Louis jumped Reid there, and for so long everyone was trying to figure out what even happened to cause the fight. Even now, Harry had no idea why it was being brought up.

"It happened because Reid was talking about you two. I was there with the lads actually, which I'm supposing is how they knew about my crush, and Reid had caught me in the hallway to the bathroom. But anyway, I think the two of you had been dating for about a couple of months by then, and the whole time, he was bragging to me about how he was going to fuck you so hard and be _the one_ to take your virginity, like it was some kind of accomplishment for him."

Harry's stomach started to twist into disgust, and he felt a lump growing in his throat. He never knew anyone would ever talk about him in such a way, especially in a way of trying to rub it in someone's face. Harry felt used and disgusted, and now he regretted forever letting Reid touch him now knowing Reid would use that to flaunt in Louis' face.

"All these vulgar things I knew he was purposely saying just to get to me," Louis continued, swallowing when it got harder for him to continue. "He just kept saying all these things you would do for him - quite vividly too - calling you his personal slut, and I was getting fed up. So I punched him for talking about you like that. Absolutely disrespected you in front of me, and I couldn't let him do it anymore."

Harry widened his eyes, "Louis, you didn't just punch him, you attacked him."

"I don't care," Louis cried out, shrugging his shoulders and showing no signs of sympathy for Reid. "Harry, I couldn't keep listening to him talk about you and your body like that just to make me jealous that he got to have sex with you. It was fucking horrid. I wouldn't want anyone to talk like that about anyone truthfully."

Harry stayed silent in response and didn't really know what to say. He looked past Louis and stared at the reflection of the backyard off the window and thought about everything Louis said to him. But to be honest, Harry didn't exactly know what he should be thinking or feeling about because the whole situation he was in was a complete shit show.

It hurt Harry knowing that the first boyfriend he ever had was using him just to make another boy angry. But then knowing that Louis got angry from Harry and Reid being together was a whole other feeling that Harry didn't know how to explain. Harry was used, and his whole relationship with Reid was a major scam that left Harry feeling humiliated and embarrassed.

It didn't help that Reid had cheated on Harry, too. Not only did he catch Nadine and Reid together, on their fucking anniversary mind you, but he also find out that Cara and Reid have fucked - and were probably still fucking, too. Who knew the number of times Reid had cheated on Harry. It could have explained all the stares the two would receive in the hallways.

Harry always thought people envied him or were jealous that he got to be with Reid, but now he was starting to believe those stares were because Reid was actually screwing them behind Harry's back. Wow, what a joke Harry thought to himself.

But, then there was Louis and all the unanswered questions.

Louis had basically admitted he fancied Harry since he first saw him, which happened to be at the party right before their second year. Then he shamelessly admitted to trying to find Harry's contact info just for them to start talking. So if Harry did his math correctly, then Louis has had an apparently obvious crush on him for the past three years, He even went as far as beating the person he hated the most up just because he made a few sexual comments about Harry.

It may be hard for Louis to defend Harry in school since he had been so conflicted over his sexuality, but when it came down to it, Louis defended Harry against Reid. And the two of them didn't even know each other at the time. It was Louis doing a good thing in honor of someone else simply because he had a crush on him, and apparently, had a lot more respect for him than Reid.

It was kind of cute, Harry thought to himself.

"So, you've liked me for a long time?" Is what Harry asked to break the silence.

Louis let out a breathy laugh before nodding his head. "So fucking much actually."

"Why?"

"Well," Louis sighed, smiling softly as he cupped Harry's face in his hands. "The first time I saw you, you were an absolute mess with taking your shots, it was adorable. Then the second time, you tripped going up the bleachers at the football game. Super clumsy. I also noticed your hair, curly and cute. The green eyes were a major attraction, but really just everything about you. Both times I saw you, you made me laugh from how adorably clumsy you were, and I realized that laughing was something I hadn't been doing in a while. It felt nice."

Harry stayed silent while smiling more to himself. He let Louis' words sink in and settle straight to his heart. His insides suddenly started to feel jittery and his stomach was swooning with the words Louis was saying to him. It was making Harry a blushing and speechless mess that didn't know what to do in response.

So, Harry leaned forward and press his lips against Louis', replying to Louis' answer with a kiss that Harry had hoped shown Louis that he liked what he said.

"We should go back inside," Harry whispered when he pulled from Louis' lips, only giving him enough time to say those words before he was pressing his lips against Louis' again.

The two of them finish up their kiss and then head back inside Harry's room. It was already getting close to about two in the morning, and Louis wasn't against sleeping in the same bed with Harry anymore. Ever since his birthday weekend, Louis would sometimes sneak over to Harry's house just so they could fall asleep together. Obviously, Louis would sneak out before anyone in the house ever knew.

So that's what they did that night. Louis cuddled himself up against Harry's back and held him firmly in his arms. With a last kiss shared between the two of them, they ended up going to sleep with their bodies pressed as closely together as they could be. It was a nice feeling going to sleep and then waking up with Louis' arms around Harry.

If this was a constant thing the two of them kept doing, then Harry was starting to look forward to his nights and mornings. Because that next morning when he was stirring awake for school, he still felt Louis snuggled up against him and his arms tossed so tightly around his body. It was like Louis feared Harry may be taken away in the middle of the night so he made sure Harry was pressed close to him the entire time.

Except, nights that Louis stayed, they were always running late for school.

Louis always wanted to press snooze and lay in bed longer while Harry wanted to enjoy being cuddled up with Louis. It really was a tough battle that they had to face when they had sleepovers, but Harry was willing to go through that stress if having Louis over almost every night was the price.

"I hate being late to school," Harry grumbled as he tossed his shirt over his head.

He stood in front of his body length mirror and noticed Louis was still laying on the mattress. He was even laying down in a relaxed position as he watched Harry through the reflection with a smirk on his face. Harry rolled his eyes at Louis' expression and went down to pull his pants up his body instead.

"Let's just skip," Louis suggested.

Harry ignored his comment and walked to grab his bag where it was on the floor by the bed. He bent down to grab it, but Louis grabbed on to his hips and yanked Harry down on his body. Harry fell easily on top of Louis with his legs resting on either side of Louis' waist. Louis ran his hands underneath the back of Harry's shirt before he was going lower to grip his ass.

"We could have so much fun here, baby," Louis continued with a smirk.

Louis didn't give Harry a chance to reply, for he was already yanking Harry's face down closer to his. Their lips connected together in a messy kiss as Louis' tongue made its way to the inside of Harry's cheek. His hands then continued to roam all over Harry's ass and made it apparent he was perfectly content with where they were by getting a handful of Harry's ass, but they were interrupted when Anne began incisively calling Harry's name for breakfast.

Harry pulled back with a groan and sat up on Louis' lap. He wiped his mouth from their spit mixing and pushed his hair out of his face. "So, you want breakfast?"

"I'll just wait until your mum leaves."

Harry let out a long, drawn out sigh as he stood off of Louis' body. He fixed his clothes up so they were properly on his body, hoping to go for the effect that Louis' hands were not just messing with them. When he felt he looked relatively decent, he headed downstairs by himself to join his mother at the dining table where the breakfast was set.

"Does your friend want some food?" Was the first thing Anne asked when Harry reached for a piece of bacon of the plate.

"W-what?" Harry stuttered, eyes wide as he blinked over at his mom.

"Sweetheart, I heard footsteps on my roof at about midnight, and I assume the friend stayed considering it was late when he initially came over."

Harry snapped his mouth shut right away and looked down at his plate of food. He could feel his cheeks heating up in a blush while his teeth came out to nibble on his bottom lip. He then heard his mother start to laugh at him which caused him to look up at her with a frown.

"Louis?" She asked.

Harry nodded his head weakly at her as she began to smile. She didn't press into it any further but walk up to Harry to give him a kiss on the head. She then left him in the kitchen alone since it was time for her to head to work.

Once Harry was sure he was left alone, knowing Robin left before Harry even woke up, he rushed back upstairs. He got into his room and noticed Louis hadn't moved from his position, but now his eyes were closed. Harry rolled his eyes and found the first thing he could throw over in Louis' direction, having it land on his face and waking him up.

"My mum knows you are here," Harry admitted when Louis cracked his eyes open.

Louis shot up from the bed right away as he frantically shifted around so he could stand on his feet. "What? How?"

"Just relax, okay?"

Louis ended up not answering and decided to head out of Harry's room. Harry let out a sigh as he grabbed his school bag and quickly followed Louis out.

Harry drove both of them to school that day, however, Louis asked if he could be dropped off a street sooner so the two of them wouldn't show up at the same time. It kind of felt like a stab in the heart for Harry knowing that the two of them couldn't show up to school together because of Louis, but he did understand why. It just didn't help that Louis was silent the whole car ride and didn't even kiss Harry goodbye when he got out.

Harry parked in his spot shortly after he dropped Louis off and made his way towards his locker. He was idly minding his own business and looking down at his phone while playing a game. He ended up clumsily walking straight into another body, causing their journals to fall and Harry's backpack to slide off his arm.

Harry quickly looked up and was ready to apologize to the person he ran into, but when he noticed it was Stan, he internally groaned. Fuck, Harry really didn't want to deal with this right now.

"Well, if it isn't the cross-dressing queer," Stan fired right away. He didn't even bother to pick up his journals, instead, stepping closer to Harry and pushing his shoulders back with great force. "What thong are you wearing today?"

"Wouldn't you want to know?" Harry snapped back at him.

Harry rolled his eyes and turned to pick up his bag off the ground, but suddenly Stan was pushing his back down. Harry let out a grunt as he fell forward on to his knees, quickly putting his hands out in front of him to prevent himself from falling on his face. Harry let out a huff and tried to stand himself back up, not particularly liking that he was on his hands and knees in the middle of the hallway, but Stan pressed his foot to Harry's back and kept him down.

"You look like your ready to present yourself in front of everyone, Styles. Such an attention seeker, yeah?"

"Stop it you asshole," Harry growled, going to stand back up again, but Stan had a great force and knocked Harry completely down to the ground.

Harry landed forward on to his stomach, letting out a loud gasp of breath when the impact was hard to his chest. He looked back up briefly as he started to make a move to stand, but his eyes caught sight of Louis, who was standing all the way at the end of the hallway. He was nervously watching while biting his nails anxiously, eyes finding Harry's and trying to convey every ounce of apologies on his face.

But if Louis wasn't going to help him, then someone else would. Because soon enough, Nick was walking up and getting in the way between Stan and Harry, even going as far as nudging Stan backward.

"Hey, are you done being a twat?" Nick asked, "Otherwise, I don't mind stopping you myself."

Nick stared Stan down for a couple of seconds before he was turning around to help Harry stand up. That was the time Louis finally decided to rush his way over there to get himself involved. He ended up standing next to Stan and staring over at Nick with a heavy set scowl, making Harry roll his eyes and grow rather annoyed himself.

"What is going on?" Louis growled directly at Nick.

Harry snapped his head over at Louis and gave him a dirty look. He didn't understand why Louis' rude tone was directed strictly on Nick when Nick was the one who actually helped Harry stand back up. Louis was supposed to be with Harry - secretly, Harry got that - but that didn't mean Louis could just stand off to the side while one of his friends blatantly terrorized Harry.

Louis didn't have the right to gain any attitude towards Nick when all Nick was trying to do was help.

"Nothing," Harry snapped, reaching for Nick's hand. "We were just leaving."

And Harry didn't look twice as he left Louis in that hallway, deciding to ignore him for the rest of the day. 

//


	8. Chapter 8

It was another one of those dreadful days Harry had thought as he was walking out class. The most bothersome of it was how his phone was the most active that day, constantly receiving messages from his family and some old faces he knew from West Point. Even in some of those mass messages, he saw a few of them coming from his ex-cheerleader friends, which was kind of irrelevant for Harry since he had been ignoring them so blatantly.

It was Harry's eighteenth birthday, falling on a Friday this year which he was massively grateful for. This just meant he got to spend the whole weekend to celebrate it, and this also allowed his sister and grandparents to come down for a visit. Harry was excited to spend time with his family and finally relax from the stress that he faced with Louis and with school. It was a nice change from his previous birthdays where he sought out a party, for once, he was grateful for the quiet night in.

None of the lads even knew it was Harry's birthday. It wasn't something he was parading around or wanting the attention for. The last thing he wanted to happen was for Stan to purposely terrorize him on his birthday, so Harry figured if no one knew, then no harm done.

Harry grabbed his lunch out the locker and closed the door behind him before he was turning around in the hallway to head outside. It was still pretty cold at the start of February, so Harry made sure he wouldn't go out there too cold. He did grab his scarf and an extra jacket to bundle up in, even coaxed his mother to make her famous hot chocolate for him to store in the thermos.

When Harry rounded the corner to the hallway with the back doors, he ended up bumping into another person. Which, Harry really should keep count on how many times he has ran into someone at this school because he surely had set a record by now. And the number of times that the body had been Stan was quite impressive, too. Because it was yet another time Harry's dumbass ran right into him.

"Off for a gang bang?" Harry implied lazily, eyeballing Oli and Calvin when he realized they were walking up behind Stan.

"Off to go suck a cock?" was Stan's lame response.

Harry held his stance in front of Stan and tried to remain unphased. He really wasn't in the mood to ruin his birthday by getting in a fight with Stan, but if it happened, it happened. Harry wasn't going to turn over just because Stan thought he was superior, or whatever the fuck he thought. But instead of Stan doing anything like Harry had anticipated, he simply grumbled under his breath and bumped Harry's shoulder when he walked by.

Harry let out a relieved breath and felt his entire body slump up against the wall, trying to will his racing heart to calm down as well. He was able to relax and breathe from not having issues with Stan, but his luck ran much shorter when he looked ahead of the hallway to see Louis. But it wasn't just Louis that was now making him frown. It was Louis and Eleanor leaning up against a locker together having some sort of conversation together.

And Harry really tried not to think much of it, but considering Louis and Eleanor have once had a thing - or whatever they called it, Harry didn't appreciate Louis still going around her. For all Harry knew, the two of them could still be together without Harry knowing. It also didn't really help that their bodies were in close proximity, and Louis was making Eleanor giggle.

It was clear they were flirting with one another, and the last thing Harry wanted to see on his birthday, or any given day really, was Louis and Eleanor together. So he turned the other way and walked straight out those back doors to avoid seeing anything he really didn't want to see.

Harry went all the way up to the top of the bleachers and plopped himself down on the top row. He wrapped his body in the extra scarf and jacket he brought and let his body get used to the temperature before he felt his lips curving down in a pout. Harry really wished he could scream or punch something to let his frustration out, but since it was too cold for him to do either of those things, he ended up squeezing the jacket tighter in his hands to alleviate some of the frustration.

Harry then only got a few seconds to himself when he suddenly heard footsteps going up the steps. Harry flicked his gaze over to see who it was, relaxing when it was Zayn walking up with Louis behind him. Except, Zayn was smiling brightly whilst he completely stared Harry down with excitement across his entire face. Louis, on the other hand, looked hesitant to even be around Harry at the moment.

Good. He should feel that way, Harry thought.

"What's going on?" Harry questioned when Zayn wouldn't stop staring at him.

Zayn walked straight up to Harry and wrapped his arms around him in a big hug. Harry let out a little grunt at the impact and the feeling of his body being squished, but he hugged back nonetheless with an awkward laugh coming out.

"What was that for?"

"Why didn't you tell me it is your birthday?" Zayn cheered out loudly, sitting next to Harry and wrapping a loose arm around his shoulder.

"I dunno," Harry shrugged his shoulders, seeing Louis hesitantly sitting down in the row right in front of them. "I'm not much of a party or celebration person anymore, I suppose. Not that big of a deal."

Zayn snorted, "Well, understandable since the last party you went to you hooked up with two people."

Harry rolled his eyes as he slouched back against the fence. Zayn started giggling at his own comment while Louis' eyes quickly flicked Harry's ways. Harry turned his head to look at him as well, noticing Louis was giving him a small, private smile as if he was exactly remembering what Zayn was talking about.

But then the silence between them all became deafening, and Zayn was getting a little antsy. He must have caught Louis smiling over at Harry and realized something from it because he was suddenly jumping up in a matter of minutes before he was accusingly pointing his finger over at Louis.

"It was you," Zayn yelled out. "Holy shit. Louis was the boy you hooked up with? Fuck. How long have you guys been fucking?"

"We don't fuck anymore," Harry snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Since then," was Louis' response.

Harry shot his eyes over to Louis and harden his glare when he saw that he was smirking. The smirk then faded once Louis caught sight of Harry, and he ended up frowning before he turned his eyes somewhere other than at Harry. Harry didn't find anything to be worth smiling at in the moment, considering he just caught Louis and Eleanor together in the hallway, so he really wasn't in the mood for Louis of all people to be thinking he was so smug.

Because in reality, the two of them haven't slept together since Louis' birthday. And that was over a month ago. Harry really was trying to stay true to his word in not having sex with Louis until the two of them were in the right place. Louis may have admitted to wanting to be with Harry, but Harry needed to know that the feeling was still there even when they weren't constantly sleeping together.

Harry also needed to know that Harry was the only person Louis was with at the moment. Harry didn't really like the idea of having to share Louis with anyone else. Especially with Eleanor. He wanted Louis all to himself, and when he would be sure of that, then he felt like he could give one hundred percent of himself to Louis.

"I can't believe it," Zayn mumbled under his breath, still looking shocked, "We knew you two had a thing, we just didn't know to what extent."

"How long did you guys exactly suspect anything?" Louis then asked curiously.

"Oh, for me it was when we had the barbecue. The others started to pick things up whenever the two of you would act so weird around each other. And I'm pretty sure Niall saw you guys kiss once, but not entirely sure," Zayn explained. "It's only us who knows."

Louis seemed relieved to know that Zayn wasn't going around telling the whole school that the two of them were together. It was getting a little annoying at this point for Harry always watching Louis freak out over who knew and didn't know. For example, when Harry told Louis his mom knew they had something going on, Louis ended up ignoring Harry for the entire day.

So, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to let Louis know that Nick knew about them as well. And not only did Nick know, but he was willing to stick around with Harry to help make Louis jealous, and-or to be there whenever Louis and Harry's relationship fell. So either way, Nick ultimately was supposed to help Louis come to some sort of conclusion when the time came.

"Alright, well I am going to go," Harry decided to say. He packed all his things up and stood up on his feet to give Zayn a hug - and only Zayn, making it obvious he was ignoring Louis. "Thank you for the birthday wishes. I'll see you later."

Harry ignored Louis completely and the strange look of confusion coming from Zayn as he quickly scurried along the bleachers to head back inside. Harry intended on going about the rest of his day by staying out of trouble with Stan while also keeping his distance from Louis. He managed it somehow, but he was able to finish the rest of his day unbothered. However, by the time he was leaving the last class of the school day, he did find himself standing at the locker that was completely decorated for him.

There were balloons tied to the door handle and a banner taped across the door. Niall, Liam, and Zayn were all standing there waiting for Harry with bright and overly excited looks on their face. When Harry stepped up to them, they began singing the Happy Birthday song and finishing it off by tossing confetti on top of Harry's head.

Well, this really was a nice surprise to walk up to, Harry thought.

"You guys really didn't have to do all this," Harry bashfully said, blushing as Niall showed a crown in one hand and a birthday sash in the other. At that, Harry did groan and try to refuse.

"Oh, but we did _have_ to," Niall smirked.

He walked closer to Harry and place the crown right on top of Harry's head. It was a cheap plastic crown with the number 18 embroidered in the middle. The sash, however, was a simple black one with colorful words across the length of it. Niall tossed that over Harry's head as well and made sure both the crown and the sash were on properly.

"We also got you something," Liam added in. He pulled his hands from behind his back and exposed a wrapped box. Harry sighed as he reached over to grab it, giving a look at each one of them that showed he truly was thankful, but they really didn't have to do this.

Harry started pulling the wrapping paper off and then the lid of the box to expose what was inside. The very first thing that was right on top were layers of condom packets. Harry gawked as he picked one up, holding it out in front of him with a frown.

"Really?"

"Safe sex is good sex," Niall reasoned.

"Keep going," Liam giggled.

Harry rolled his eyes, a giggle coming out as he pushed the packet of condoms off to the side to see what else they got him. His hands touched the lining of a wooden frame, and when he picked it up, he noticed it was a picture of all five of them when they were at Harry's barbecue at the end of the previous year.

Harry remembered his mom forcing everyone to gather up in the pool to take a picture of Harry with his friends. It was truly embarrassing and Harry couldn't believe his mother was acting like he never had friends before, but months later, he could now appreciate the fact that he had such a good memory captured in a picture.

Harry smiled at the picture one last time before he was digging for more. He pulled out a couple of gift cards to different shopping places he typically went to whenever he had the time, it was perfect for him to use considering he didn't have a job to reimburse his shopping payments, but the final card he ended up reaching for made him frown. It was a gift card to Victoria's Secret with a sticky that had a winky face drawn on it. Harry rolled his eyes and held that one up, looking straight at Niall for an explanation.

"Hey, we don't know how frisky you get," he defended.

Harry let out a breathy laugh as he shoved the gift cards back inside the box. He covered the lid back over it and held the box under his arm as he went and gave the three of them a side hug. "Thank you, guys. Really this means so much."

"No problem," Liam said with a smile, "And that picture is to remind you who your real friends are now."

Harry let out a sigh, a smile on his face, not being able to stop himself from giving another round of hugs. He really did love the fact that these were the people who he got to call his friends now. And he's almost at the point where he wouldn't mind calling them his best friend because ever since Harry got to this school, those three had been pretty consistent figures in his life.

"Thank you, guys. Really," Harry looked between the each of them, hoping they all understood how thankful he was for them. "My family is coming in town today so I got to go. But I'll see you guys later."

Harry gave them all another round of hugs before he had to scurry out of school. He was really excited to see his sister, whom he hasn't gotten to see since the summer break, and then his grandparents, who he only really saw for the holidays. Harry had always loved spending time with his family, so he really couldn't ask for a better birthday than that.

Harry made it to the sidewalk outside the front of the school when Stan was walking around the corner in his football practice gear. Harry didn't really notice him at first because he was more focused on getting to his car, but when Harry got close enough, Stan had slapped the crown off Harry's head. Harry stopped right away and turned around to see Stan smirking at him.

"A crown for the cock queen?"

Harry rolled his eyes as he bent down to pick the crown back up. He then placed it firmly on top of his head and eyed Stan up and down. "My friends gave this to me you dipshit."

"Well, have they given you your birthday punches then?" Stan then growled, balling his hands in a fist and stepping closer into Harry's space..

"Is that even a thing?" Harry snorted, not realizing that he was aggravating Stan even more because suddenly, Harry was being pushed back. He stumbled over his feet, regaining his balance shortly after and quickly reaching up to stop the crown from falling off his head again.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Harry complained

Stan was stepping forward ready to make the first punch, but the moment was ruined when Louis was sprinting around the corner. He ran over to Stan, completely ignoring Harry. He seemed more focused in grabbing Stan's attention, even gripping on to his arm with a laugh and pointing over in the direction of the football field, as if Louis was trying to show him something funny.

"Hey, the first years are in the shed grabbing all the equipment," Louis explained slowly. "Let's prank them by locking them inside."

Stan must have found that more interesting than wanting to hit Harry because he immediately grabbed Louis' arm and took off towards their football shed. Harry felt relieved as he watched the two of them run away. Louis even looked back at him and gave him a wink before they were disappearing somewhere behind the school.

Well, that helped.

Harry was finally free to go home with the thanks to Louis. It was a weak attempt in getting Stan to not bother him, but it worked. Harry was able to get home in a quick enough time knowing his family were most likely already at the house, making his lips curve up at the thought of seeing them.

His smile only grew wider when he stepped in the living space to see it was decorated for his birthday, and then his sister sitting on the couch with Nanna each with a cup of hot tea. Harry's face broke out even brighter as he walked up to his sister to wrap her up in a big hug before turning to his Nanna to offer her the same kind of hug.

The three of them, and eventually Harry's PawPaw once he woke from his nap, had waited around until Anne and Robin both got home from work. They all ended up going out for Harry's birthday dinner to one of his favorite restaurants in Manchester. It was a good time for Harry to actually unwind and spend time with some relatives he didn't get to see very often. His Nana and PawPaw were the best because they always loved to spoil Harry, and they used his birthday as the excuse to go above and beyond with gifts.

His sister was still his sister, despite any holidays, she remained the same. She loved to pester and give Harry a hard time, but all of it was out of love. She had actually given a toast to Harry at the end of the dinner, a celebratory one that congratulated him for reaching the eighteen mark. It was ridiculous and a little bit excessive, but it was one of those reasons why she was Harry's favorite.

The family got back to the house around midnight after a dessert celebration and another round of drinks. Everyone ended up going straight to bed while Harry and Gemma stayed in the living room together. The two ended up putting on a movie planning on having a movie night, and they got about halfway through before Harry was hearing his phone buzz with a message.

Harry reached for where his mobile was placed on the coffee, frowning as he brought the phone to life. Harry was more curious and concerned with who would even be up at this time let alone be wanting to text him. It wasn't like he was expecting a message.

 _Are you home?_ The message said, coming from Louis at a quarter past one in the morning.

Harry twisted his lips to the side and replied back, informing Louis that he was home and spending time with his sister. Harry wanted to make sure Louis got the hint that his sister being there was a clear sign he didn't want to make up. Harry really wasn't in the mood for late-night sex with Louis, especially not after seeing Louis and Eleanor earlier in the day. But, if it was cuddling all night, Harry may make some exceptions.

"Who was that?" Gemma asked curiously.

" _Eh,_ no one."

Harry quickly set his phone down next to him and looked back at the television. He could still feel his sister's eyes staring at the side of his head, and all he could hope for was that she didn't keep pressing for more. But, it was inevitable for Gemma to finally find out about some secret.

"Well, who texts you this bloody late?"

Harry rolled his eyes and tried to play it off the best he could that it didn't mean much, but he was never the best liar. "He's just - he's just a friend I guess," Harry stuttered, sighing when he realized how unconvincing that sounded.

"You guess?" Gemma snorted, "Do you like him?"

"It's complicated."

The conversation ended up being interrupted when there was a knock at the front door. Harry was relieved and even shot up from the couch to answer it, but within a few steps, he realized the time and ended up slowing down. Harry furrowed his eyebrows together as he stepped up to the front door, nervous to know who would come by the house at this hour. Even when Harry turned his head to look at Gemma, she looked equally confused and concerned.

Harry ended up pushing aside the curtain that was covering the window next to the door. He was able to peak his eyes in between the crack to see that it was Louis was standing on the front porch. Harry's eyes widen right away as he ripped his head back to open the door, having that same shocked expression looking at Louis.

"Louis?"

Louis looked up from where he was staring at his feet. His arms were behind his back and became exposed once Harry stood in front of him. He pulled around a bouquet of flowers and a small gift box. He presented both of them to Harry with a shy smile on his face, chewing on his lip when Harry reached for them both to instantly sniff the flowers.

"I wanted to give you your birthday present. Happy Birthday."

"You didn't have to," Harry bit his lip, trying to contain his smile, but it was hard when he was holding flowers and a present from Louis.

"I just-" Louis began, but he shook his head when he couldn't find the right words and ended up pointing at the box. "Open it."

Harry set the flowers down on the porch furniture so he had the free hands to open the gift box. He carefully undid the bow that was perfectly tied and began pulling the flaps open. Harry's eyes widen when he caught sight of a silver band in the middle of the box. It was engraved with infinity signs all around the band with a tiny diamond at every infinity loop crossing.

Harry picked the ring up and twirled it around before Louis was coughing to get his attention. Harry shot his eyes up and looked at Louis, still not entirely sure how to react to this.

"So, it's not like an engagement ring or whatever," Louis started with, letting out a nervous laugh when Harry instantly relaxed.

"Oh, good." Harry breathed out, not entirely sure why his mind was going back and forth with answering yes or no. Obviously, Louis wouldn't be proposing. And obviously, Harry wouldn't say yes right now. But, just the thought of it happening one day did make Harry's heart beat faster, and he only hoped that he and Louis could eventually make it to that point together.

"I was about to say - we've barely known each other for a year."

Louis laughed nervously again and shrugged his shoulders. "I kind of have my reasoning for the ring though." Louis took in a deep breath and stepped closer to Harry. "It's actually a promise ring. It's my infinite promise to you that when I get the chance - when I grow up and stop hiding - that I will be the boyfriend who treats you to an infinite amount of happiness. I promise I will kiss you whenever the fuck I feel like it or hold your hand whenever we walk places. I'll take you on dates every week because you deserve every ounce of being spoiled. I promise you all of that if you just _please_ don't give up on me. The time will come, and when it does I swear I'll be the best boyfriend you ever had. It's just ... - please accept my promise."

Harry blinked when he felt his eyes starting to water up. He looked down at the ring and carefully took it out of the box, holding it out in front of him. His eyes flicked back over to Louis' and saw that he was nervously biting his bottom lip, anxiously twisting his fingers together in front of his chest.

"You mean it?"

"Harry, I want you so badly, but I just _can't_ right now," he pleaded, "And I really hope you could try to understand."

Harry let out a sigh and looked back at the ring again. He could feel his lips starting to curve up in a smile at thinking about Louis specifically buying this ring because it meant something to him. It was truly romantic, and Harry's heart was bursting from this considering no one had ever done this for him before.

Sure it was Louis promising to be Harry's boyfriend in the future, but it was also Louis' own creative spin-off to a promise ring. Instead of promising to marry Harry, he took the first step and promised to be the best boyfriend. It was a little unorthodox and not normal, but something about the creativity of it made Harry's stomach swoop.

"Okay," Harry whispered, sliding the ring on his left ring finger, "I promise, too."

Louis's face immediately flushed with relief as he stepped straight into Harry's space. He cupped the sides of Harry's cheek and leaned forward to eagerly press his lips against Harry's.

"Happy Birthday, love."

Harry smiled and leaned in to kiss him for a few more seconds before Louis was forcing himself to leave. Harry stood on the porch with a goofy grin on his face as he watched Louis get in his car and disappear down the road. Harry sighed to himself and looked down at his ring and then the bouquet of flowers. Louis really knew how to be a romantic and treat Harry well whenever he actually put the effort into it. Harry reached down to grab the flowers off the stand and turned to head back inside the house.

Harry immediately jumped when he realized Gemma was standing right at the entrance of the front door. She had a smirk on her face while staring right at Harry's ring, causing him to blush.

"Guess it's not all that complicated," she then corrected.

 

//

 

So, it was Valentine's day, a holiday Harry always had an internal battle with.

He never really had anyone to celebrate this romantic holiday with before, and when he was with Reid, they hardly ever did anything. The first time Harry spent his Valentine's Day with Reid was when they were about five months into their relationship. Harry expected some big grand gesture to make his first valentine's day romantic, but it was nothing.

Reid ordered pizza for the two of them, and they had sex on the couch. They didn't even go to his bedroom to make love, which to Harry kind of seemed sleazy. It was quick and over with before Harry had any time to actually enjoy the moment. But ever since their first Valentine's day, the one other that followed wasn't much different.

But Louis, on the other hand, was already preparing something for him and Harry. He had texted Harry the night before saying he was going to kidnap Harry for the night to take him on a _proper_ date. Louis was very adamant to make up for the lost Valentine's Days that Harry had to suffer in the previous years, and his goal was to make sure that this year was the best one. 

It really was quite romantic.

Harry walked out of his last class of the day and made his way to his locker. He was real antsy to get this school day over with so he could spend the rest of the night with Louis. Harry was excited to say the lease, and for once, he looked forward to the two of them being together knowing that the intention wasn't for sex. It was almost like they were actually boyfriends, which they weren't, but it was a nice feeling to have.

Harry was walking down the hallway his locker was in when he saw that Liam was walking towards him. He had a smile on his face once catching sight of Harry, and Harry mimicked his expression when the two of them ended up stopping at Harry's locker together.

"So, any plans tonight?" Liam questioned once they were within speaking distance, wiggling his eyebrows when Harry looked over at him.

Harry bit his lip and rolled his eyes, letting out a small laugh when Liam pushed his shoulder playfully., "What about you?" Harry asked instead, always so good at deflecting questions aimed at him. "What does Zayn have planned?"

"It's more like what do I have planned."

Harry raised his eyebrow. "Oh, then what is it?"

"This is actually our first Valentines together as a couple," Liam admitted. "I was thinking of being a little creative and taking him out to the pond, its where we had our first kiss. Maybe pack a picnic and a bottle of Merlot."

"Wait, what?" Harry shook his head in confusion, more focused on the first part of the sentence rather than what Liam had said he planned.

Liam sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "We've been together for a while since our first year here really. But we were so on and off again, and our offs happened to be around Valentine's day, so we never made it there as a couple. This is the first year we can actually say we are still together, so I want to make this day extra amazing."

"Is Zayn even romantic?" Harry wondered more to himself, squinting his eyes together as he tried to picture it himself.

He's never really seen Zayn do much other than smoke and laugh sometimes, mainly at Harry's struggles. He's a really good person to talk to and he cares a lot about people, but Harry never saw him as an over-emotional person. Zayn hasn't been big on PDA nor is much of a talker unless someone initiates a conversation. But if there's anyone that could get some sort of emotion out of Zayn, even a romantic one, it would be Liam.

"He's a secret romantic," Liam smiled. "He also gets super shy when I go to the extremities for him, so that's exactly what I plan on doing tonight."

Harry smiled at the comment and finally turned to put his dial in for the locker. He still needed to switch his books out for his backpack, but as he was exchanging his items, he began thinking about ways Liam could spoil Zayn for the night. But, Harry mainly thought about some of the things he would like on any given day, not necessarily being specific for Valentine's Day, and none of it involved grand gestures.

It really was the small things that Harry adored so much. Like little love notes or morning and night messages. He thought holding hands was comforting, especially when it was an unconscious movement. Little gifts that he received because it reminded that person of him. Even small kisses on the forehead or on the nose. Small gestures that could go unnoticed were what Harry appreciated the most.

"Flowers," Harry advised right away, biting his lip once finishing exchanging his books for his bag. He slammed the locker door shut and strapped his bag over his shoulder, turning his body back to Liam with a smile. "Flowers and chocolates and cheesy romantic cards about how much you love him. Maybe a photo of the two of you. A cute note. Balloons."

"Well, aren't you a romantic," Liam teased.

Harry shrugged, "It's nice getting the little things like that."

Liam nodded his head as he though the items over. His eyes were locked on to Harry's for a moment when something seemed to catch his eyes. His gaze then flicked down towards Harry's hand and zoned in on the ring that was resting on his left ring finger. Harry didn't think much of it as he aimlessly began tapping that said finger on his other arm.

"What's that?" Liam finally asked when the suspicion was growing.

Harry immediately shied away and pulled his hand towards his chest. His free hand came over and rubbed along the design of the ring as he blinked nervously over at Liam. No one had even noticed it until now, and Harry never really knew how he was going to explain the situation he and Louis were now in.

"It's a ring."

"Looks fancy. Nothing like the necklace you're wearing," Liam implied, which caused Harry to mindlessly hold on to the necklace that was still hanging around his neck. "Who got it for you?" Liam continued to interrogate.

Harry widened his eyes and ended up stumbling over his words to think of how to answer the question. It wasn't like it was a huge secret between him and Liam that he and Louis had a thing, but Harry still wasn't sure how much he was actually allowed to admit. He understood Louis was in a position where he wasn't clearly out yet, and Harry didn't necessarily want to jeopardize anything.

Also, Harry wasn't sure if Louis wanted their friends to know the meaning behind the ring. But, whether the secret was meant to be kept or not, it was soon blurted out when Zayn was walking up to the two of them all happily and crowding Harry's back.

"It's a promise ring," Zayn smirked, causing Harry to roll his eyes, but on the inside, he was truly grateful he wasn't the one to answer the question. So maybe he should thank Zayn for being the one to admit the meaning behind the ring.

"It's bloody obvious," Zayn defended when Harry snapped his head over his way to glare at him.

"Who gave it to you?" Liam repeated when no one answered the first time.

Zayn raised his eyebrow, snickering behind his hand as he glanced over at Liam. Zayn gave him credulous look as if the answer was obvious. Harry looked down at the ground and tried to avoid as much eye contact as he could while aimlessly twirling the ring around his finger. It's been such a hot topic these past few minutes, and Harry really wanted to move on from it.

"Louis proposed?" Liam then screeched once he figured it out. He stepped closer to Harry and grabbed his hand to start admiring the ring again, in complete awe as his fingers delicately traced the lining of the band.

"No. No, nothing like that," Harry pulled his hand away, frowning. "It's more like a promise to be my boyfriend. Not like - no, it's not for marriage."

Liam rolled his eyes with a small condescending laugh coming out. "Whatever," he mumbled, reaching out for Zayn and pulling him over by his side. "Well, I hope the two of you have fun tonight."

"Thanks, mate. You two have fun, too."

Harry smiled as he watched Zayn and Liam walk away with their hands laced together. It made him start thinking about a potential time when he and Louis could do the same thing without caring who was around. Hopefully, it would be sooner rather than later because Harry knew he would just about follow anywhere if Louis was the one leading him.

Harry left his locker and began walking towards the front doors of the school. He caught sight of Nick as he was heading out the main front office, and the two quickly made eye contact. Harry smiled over at him when Nick walked his way to Harry's side.

"Hey, I'll walk you to your car," Nick suggested, his body language concerning Harry for a moment considering he looked stressed.

Harry watched him carefully with the way his shoulders were tensed and his face twisted in an expression that seemed troubling. They walked side by side all the way out the school doors and made it to the bottom step of the stairs when Nick finally stopped walking to face Harry.

"Tonight?" Is all he asked, pressing his hand to his forehead when he realized that wasn't even a question or a complete sentence.

"What?"

"Do you have anything planned tonight?" he tried again.

Harry bit his bottom lip as his eyes went straight down to the ground. He could feel Nick watching him carefully and expectedly waiting for an answer, but Harry found more interest in scuffing his boot along with the concrete. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Nick and leave him alone on Valentine's Day, but Louis asked him first, and it's not like he could just cancel on his potential boyfriend.

"Well-" Harry began, flicking his eyes up to see Nick's face immediately dropping.

"Louis?" Nick questioned as if he understood it himself. He let out a sigh when Harry nodded his head before he was nodding along as well. "It's cool. I know you two have your thing going on."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry Nick," Harry apologized, not sure for what, but he did feel the need to say something.

Nick gave a half shrug, and the two of them continued to stand there awkwardly. Harry didn't really know what else to say or do to lighten the mood. He had just turned Nick down on Valentine's Day to be with his current hook up slash potential boyfriend, and Harry really hated knowing that he upsetted Nick and was leaving him alone.

It was a nagging feeling in the pit of Harry's stomach making him question if everything he was doing was worth it. Harry had spent his months dedicating himself to Louis and not really giving anyone else a chance, not even Nick, but he also spent the same amount of time questioning if he should really stick through with Louis. Nick offered to stay by Harry's side hoping it would push Louis to commit, but even to this day, Harry was still hesitant about it all.

What if Harry actually gave Nick a chance?

The thick silence between the two of them was interrupted when Nick made a sound under his breath. Harry's eyes were looking down at the ground and immediately blinked up at Nick when he made that sound. That was when Nick's eyes were staring comically wide down at Harry's hand, and that was also the same moment when Harry realized that Nick must have discovered the new ring on his finger.

"Did he get you that ring?"

Nick's voice sounded utterly hurt and defeated as he looked at Harry. His face was washed with sadness and showed a pure, broken heart like all his chances were just flushed down the drain. It was like the ring Harry was wearing was the final answer for Nick knowing he could never have Harry. It was a sick feeling Harry was starting to have, and he needed to get out of there fast.

"I-I'm sorry. I need to go."

Harry huffed and quickly scurried past Nick. He made it all the way to his car in one big breath and felt relieved when he was finally inside his vehicle. He then drove all the way home and tried to calm down by focusing on getting ready for his date with Louis rather than focusing on the ring that seemed to be causing so many controversial conversations.

Harry stepped into the shower and washed his body thoroughly, using the water as a relaxing mechanism and spending about half an hour moisturizing his face. He took his time to work on his hair, putting in different oils and creams to help keep the frizz down and the curls prominent. He was just buttoning up the bottom two buttons on his blouse when he heard the doorbell go off.

Harry quickly ran his fingers through his hair to add some extra fluff before he was jogging down the stairs to answer the door. He knew Louis was on the other side dressed equally as nice, but something about this moment sent butterflies fluttering inside his stomach. Harry had paused once his hand reached the doorknob to calm his breathing down before he finally opened it to reveal Louis on the other side.

Harry's breath hitched in his throat when his eyes landed on Louis' body. He knew Louis could clean up nicely, but he had never seen Louis look so proper before. His once fluffy hair that normally fell across his face was swept back in gel to expose the defined lining of his face.

His legs were hugged by a pair of black skinny jeans that paired with his black shoes. His torso was clad in a white shirt with a black blazer over, a tiny rose pinned to one of his pockets. Harry smiled when he noticed Louis holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other, a taped note on top of the box.

Harry barely even got time to admire Louis before Louis was stepping into his space and attacking his lips for a long, drawn out kiss. Harry immediately melted into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Louis' neck. He felt his body easily molding into Louis', humming softly when he felt Louis' tongue licking along his bottom lip.

"It's been a while," Louis teased.

Harry pressed his lips against Louis' once more before he was pulling back with a shy smile. He looked down at the items Louis was holding again and began blushing when Louis started to hand them over to Harry. Harry's eyes watered as he grabbed the flowers and the box of chocolate, biting his lips and blinking back up at Louis.

"Thank you," Harry said before going back in to kiss his lips again, "This is so sweet of you."

"Don't read the note until later when I'm gone, deal?"

"Deal," Harry smiled.

Harry quickly turned his body inside to set the gifts down on the keys table right by the front door. When he finished, Louis reached out to grab Harry's hand and led him down the front porch. Louis walked Harry to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for him.

Once the two of them were sat inside the car, Louis began driving towards the surprise place that he intended taking Harry to dinner. The ride was comfortable with the soft melodies of the music drowning out the silence. Louis' hand was placed firmly in Harry's while they rested their conjoined hands together on top of the center console.

It was a small act that made Harry's heart swoon, just like when Louis surprised him with flowers, a chocolate box, and a romantic note. It was those little things that Harry had always wanted, and Louis was giving him just that. It was too much to handle in one night, and Harry already felt like his heart was ready to explode.

They drove for a little over half an hour before they were out of their small area and more into downtown. Louis pulled up to an Italian restaurant that had valet parking out front, and that was how Harry knew Louis took him to a relatively nice and pricey restaurant. Harry was breathless when he eyeballed just the exterior of the place, not really ever seeing a restaurant paved in stone and having a sculpted waterfall out in the front garden.

"Louis, this place looks expensive," Harry gasped once he stepped out the car.

"Oh, hush."

Louis rolled his eyes and reached for Harry's hand again before he was dragging them both inside. Harry smiled bashfully as he followed Louis by keeping his body in close to his side and using his free hand to hold on to Louis' arm.

When they got inside, Louis introduced himself to the hostess and told her what their reservation was under. She then led the two of them inside the restaurant towards the far right side in a darker, more private area. The table was already decorated in a white cloth with rose petals littered in the middle. There was a bottle of wine and two glasses placed, as well as a glassed candle to give them dim lighting.

Harry sat down in his seat with a smile as he grabbed his menu. He read over the entrees for a few moments before setting his menu down to look up at Louis. "So, what's the best thing to get here?"

Louis shrugged his shoulders as his eyes flicked from the menu to Harry. "No idea. I've never been here."

Harry gasped playfully, "You mean you don't take all your hookups here?" he teased.

Louis rolled his eyes in response and reached his hand across the table. He grabbed on to Harry's and laced their fingers together, smiling shyly. "I brought you as my date, darling. This is probably one of the only real dates I've been on, and I'm kind of bloody nervous truthfully."

Harry's heart skipped a bit once he saw the blush on Louis' face. His stomach filled up with butterflies and his skin started heating up in a blush of his own as Louis' words ran on repeat in his mind. He was Louis' first true date, and something about that made Harry feel even more special.

In all honesty too, Louis was kind of his first true date as well. Reid never took Harry out to any romantic places as a date. Everything was subpar and only places that friends would typically meet up at. Like the damn mall or the movies.

"Wow," Harry breathed out, looking down at the flame flickering on the candlewick.

"I did give this ring to you for a reason," Louis reminded with, a smirk on his face as his finger began tracing the ring on Harry's finger.

Harry's face flushed even more as he gently pulled his hand when the waiter came to take their order. It gave himself enough distraction time to let his heart calm and his skin to cool down. He quickly looked back at the menu one last time to confirm what he wanted to order, and then they both proceeded to tell the waiter what they wanted.

When they had their orders ready, Louis reached for the bottle of wine and poured them both a glass. Harry smiled when he clinked his glass with Louis' in the middle before they were both taking a generous sip.

In the meantime, while they waited for their food, they had easy conversation flowing between both of them and childish watching people around. It was a fun little game that Louis wanted to play where they would look at people and make up the conversations they were having with whoever they were talking to.

It had Harry in a fit of giggles as he listened to the most outrageous stories that Louis came up with, but it was also a good reminder on how much Harry genuinely likes spending his time with Louis. Harry often forgot that this side of Louis even existed since he hardly ever got to witness it. Louis was giving Harry an easy glimpse at what it would be like if they were in a relationship, and it just made waiting that much harder for Harry.

Harry had come to learn that Louis was a romantic, and he really did pay attention to the small things that would make Harry smile. He's witty and funny, but also sweet and sensitive. When Louis wasn't wearing the mask that Stan and his football friends had painted for him, there was this other side to Louis that made Harry fall for him fast.

The food came shortly after Louis was going off about some farm this one customer probably had because he was wearing a cowboy hat. Their bottle was more than halfway finished by the time dessert and the bill came, so Harry obviously had some alcohol flowing through his system that was making him giggle a bit more than he would if he was sober.

They had just finished the last bite of their chocolate cake when Harry noticed a girl walking by their table before she stopped in her place to look back at them. Harry didn't think much of it until the girl spoke up towards them, making Harry's eyes shoot open.

"Harry?" the voice asked, revealing that it was Cara who had noticed them.

Harry and Louis' hands were held together on top of the table where Cara's eyes were currently staring at. Harry didn't know what to do or what to say, so he moved his eyes from Louis over to Cara. He felt Louis squeeze his hand as a comforting gesture, but the most important thing that Harry also noticed was that Louis didn't even pull his hand away after being caught.

"What - What is this?" She asked confused.

Harry frowned, "What are you doing here?" he asked instead.

"I'm on a date," Cara breathed out, slowly shifting her eyes up to Harry's, "But it looks like you are, too."

Harry may have spoken too soon in praising Louis because he soon could physically see Louis stiffen in his chair, feeling Louis' hand squeezing his harder now. It shouldn't have been _that_ big of a deal being caught by Cara considering she went to a different school, but she was still a person that neither of them really trusted. Harry could see it on Louis' features how hard he was trying not to say or do something to jeopardize the night - like trying to pull his hand away and play this off, but he didn't do anything. He kept his hand there and didn't deny anything.

"I-it's not a date," Harry tried instead, seeing Louis blink his eyes over at him in confusion.

Harry shrugged his shoulder at him before he was looking back at Cara. Her eyes harden briefly as she looked between the two of them and then down at their hands, even going as far as pointing them out.

"You are holding hands," she accused, "You are on a date with fucking _Louis Tomlinson_?"

"What the hell does it matter to you?" Louis suddenly snapped when Harry had flinched at the tone she used when referring to Louis.

But Harry relaxed immediately and leaned his body closer to the table. His free hand came out and rested on top of Louis in hopes it would calm him down. He could easily see the annoyance on Louis' face, and he really didn't want this run-in with Cara to ruin anything about the night.

"Louis," Harry warned under his breath.

Now, the gesture must have sparked something in Cara because the minute Harry moved his left hand on top of Louis', she immediately freaked out.

"What the fuck is that?" Cara screeched while pointing down at the ring so clearly visible on Harry's finger, "Engaged? What kind of nonsense have you gotten yourself into?"

"We are not engaged," Harry then growled, "He's my date. It's just a ring. Leave us alone why don't you?"

"I can't believe how much you've changed," Cara stated in disbelief, looking utterly disappointed.

"Says the girl who fucked my boyfriend behind my back."

Louis let out a huff and gently nudged his foot against Harry's shin. "Harry," he suddenly grumbled under his breath.

Harry quickly turned his head towards Louis to see where that sudden change in voice came from, but their little interaction with Cara was interrupted when another body was walking to meet up with her. Harry's eyes then shifted from Cara to the body, immediately groaning once he noticed who it was. But then once it actually registered who Cara was at this restaurant with, Harry felt even more betrayed.

Cara and Reid were on a date themselves, and Harry couldn't believe that not only did Cara sleep with his boyfriend, but she was now dating him too. How fucked up is that?

"Are you serious?" Harry let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head in complete disbelief.

Louis let out a long, drawn-out sigh and quickly left the tip for their waiter before he was standing up. He still had a firm grip on Harry's hand and yanked him up from the seat so they could quickly leave this place. Harry was still in utter shock and speechless as he let Louis drag him out of the restaurant. He really had no words to describe how he felt at seeing his ex-best friend and ex-boyfriend both on a date at the same place Louis took him.

What are the fucking odds?

Louis walked them all the way to his car and rested Harry up against it once they arrived. He then crowded his body up against Harry's and gently cupped his hands along the sides of Harry's face to force them to make eye contact. Once Louis held Harry's gaze, he leaned forward to rub their noses together in what was an attempt to be comforting.

"Are you okay?" He mumbled, "I'm really sorry. Of all the fucking places, this was the last one I expected to see Reid at."

Harry smiled weakly as he let his arms drape around Louis' waist, "It's fine, but aren't you worried about them seeing us though?"

"No," he dismissed.

Harry smiled and leaned forward to press his lips against Louis'. The kiss instantly made him relax, and he was finally able to lose the tension that he felt building up in his shoulders.

They left shortly after for Louis to drop Harry back at his house. The ride back this time was filled with loud music for them to sing to while their hands rested together in Harry's lap. It definitely made Harry smile and laugh a lot more and made him forget about the fact that he saw his two least favorite people in the same restaurant.

Louis pulled up Harry's driveway close to midnight and got out the car to walk him to the front door. Harry smiled once they were standing right outside the door, their hands held together in front of their bodies and both with small smiles on their faces.

"Thank you for this," Harry whispered. He removed his hands from Louis' and went up to cup his face, "Best Valentine's Day ever."

"Of course, baby," Louis leaned in to press his lips against Harry's for a soft kiss. "I'll see you later," he then mumbled against Harry's mouth before leaving another kiss there.

Harry smiled as he watched Louis head back down the porch to get in his car. He waited until Louis was pulling out and driving away before he finally decided to head inside his home. He was reminded of the gifts Louis gave him when he saw them sitting on the key stand by the door.

His smile instantly grew as he grabbed the flowers and chocolate before he was quickly scurrying up to his room. He immediately plopped down on his mattress with a squeal that soon turned into a giggle. He set the flowers on his desk and held the box of chocolates to his heart as he let out a long, breathy sigh.

He then remembered Louis wrote him a note so he quickly pulled it off from where it was taped to the box. Harry smiled at the pink hearts surrounding the border of the paper before he finally opened the folded paper to read what Louis had written to him.

_You're the best thing that has happened to me in a very long time. Thank you, love._

 

_//_

 

Harry groaned when he walked into school Friday morning to see a huge pep rally going on. The hallways were filled with the entire football and cheerleading team for celebrating the game they had at the end of the day, and the school band was there as well playing different things to get all the student body just as spirted as they were. Harry honestly hated it because he saw it as a real inconvenience for him trying to get to class.

He managed to see Louis a few times in the swarm of people, surrounded by his teammates and a couple of cheerleaders. Harry really wouldn't have minded the fact that he was around people he normally was on a daily basis, but what he didn't like was when Louis wrapped his arms around two cheerleaders and began parading them down the hallway like he owned them.

That much he didn't appreciate.

"I hate pep rally days," Harry groaned when he finally made it to his seat in music class, even going as far as letting out a childish huff and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I love 'em," Niall admitted, "I even tried to be the mascot, but they wouldn't let me."

"You, a mascot?" Harry snorted.

"Niall actually has a lot of spirit," Zayn defended from where he was sat on the other side of Niall. "They said he had too much energy though."

Niall let out a huff at the reminder and sunk back in his seat. Harry smiled at his reaction before he was turning his head towards the front when Mr. Reeds walked into the room. He began class shortly after the start of the first hour bell rang, but since it was pep rally day, they had no late marks for the first class considering how much time the rally took.

They got about fifteen minutes into the lecture when the door was being opened. Louis slid himself into the room with a cheeky smile when Mr. Reeds dramatically paused his lesson to allow Louis' entrance to be known.

"Pep rally day," Louis reminded once he was sat, a smug look on his face as Mr. Reeds rolled his eyes.

"As I was saying-" Mr. Reeds continued with a grouchy tone.

He then continued on going over the upcoming project that was due. This time, it was writing song lyrics over anything they wanted, and Harry honestly had no idea what he wanted to write. It wasn't a partner project so it wasn't like he could ask for help. This was purely based on their own feelings and experiences, and all Harry really had for inspiration was heartbreak and maybe love. Other than that, Harry didn't have much to inspire him.

Harry turned his body to face Louis about to ask what he thought of the project, reaching his hand down to his thigh to grab his attention. But the minute Harry's hand made contact with Louis' body, Louis frowned right away and pushed Harry's hand away rudely.

"What are you doing?" Louis growled under his breath.

"What?"

Louis raised his eyebrow and motioned his hand between both of them, " _Hello_ , we're a secret."

Harry cocked his head back and blinked, "Excuse me?" He snapped in return. "The lads already know, so why does it matter?"

"I don't want _anyone to know_."

Harry felt his face drop and his shoulders slouch as he watched Louis continue to look forward with a tight jaw. Harry blinked a couple of times before he also turned towards the front to focus more on what Mr. Reeds was talking about rather than the harsh words Louis tossed his way. It was hard to not think about it considering it felt like a stab straight to his heart, but it was also difficult to ignore it when Harry could see the lads on the other side of him all sharing looks with one another.

Harry's face was flushing with embarrassment and tried not to let their concerned looks get to him that much, but it was hard when Louis had to be a major asshole right in front of their friends. It's like the two of them went in a complete circle and they're back to Louis treating Harry like he wasn't worth his time.

"So these songs are not to be performed on the due date, but I would like everyone to at least read what they wrote. It shouldn't be more than about three minutes and no less than one minute," Mr. Reeds had informed. "At the end for the final grade of your performances, you may choose any song that you or your classmates wrote. That is including using instruments and singing."

Mr. Reeds had finished discussing the next project just as the end of the hour bell rang. The whole class got up and began filing out the room quickly, and Harry was one of those who grabbed his bag and stormed out the room. He purposely pushed Louis aside so he could get down the stage and avoid talking to him, hoping he could distance himself as quickly as possible.

It was a childish tactic, and Harry really should be more mature and maybe talk to Louis about it, but he really couldn't stand to be around him at the moment. They had such a good Valentine's Day that really showed Harry this loving side of Louis, but to have it be thrown around and tossed in his face just for Louis to go back to his old ways made it hurt even more.

Harry was just turning down a different hallway before Zayn was quickly catching up to him. He called out Harry's name and hurried himself up to Harry's side, placing his hand on the back of his shoulder blade and giving him a weak smile.

"You good?" Zayn asked concerned.

Harry let out a bitter laugh and shrugged his shoulders, "I'm assuming you saw."

"Why do you let him treat you that way?"

Harry stopped walking so he could lean his body up against the wall. He let out a long sigh and slouched his shoulders as he looked up at Zayn, "Because he acts differently when it's just the two of us. He's the best when it's us, and he makes me forget that he really is a dick when he's at school. It's just - I mean there's only a few more months of this, right?"

Zayn licked his lips and tilted his head to the side. "I don't know, mate," Zayn offered. "I just think you need to have more control over this whole situation. You need to stop letting him treat you like that whenever he is feeling insecure about himself. He can't choose when he wants to be good to you or not. Whether you're together now or later - if he wants anything with you in the future then he needs to start watching the way he treats you around people."

Harry let those words sink into his brain, but he didn't get too much time to dwell on it because it was close to the next hour bell ringing. Harry offered Zayn a weak smile before he was quickly walking to his next class for the day. He wanted to pay attention to the teacher and the subject being taught, but he really couldn't shake Zayn's words out of his head.

Maybe the only reason why Louis was romantic on Valentine's Day was because he knew Reid was going to be in the restaurant. It was a weak accusation and something Harry wasn't sure he actually believed, but it made sense in a way. Harry was starting to feel like maybe Louis was doing to him what Reid did, and that he just using Harry as some trophy in their piss war.

Because Louis didn't care that they saw the two of them together. And it's not like the Italian place was such a common restaurant to go to. Maybe Louis did know that Reid was going to be there, and he wanted to show off that him and Harry were on a date.

When the bell finally rang for the hour in which Harry had lunch, he walked to his locker to grab his bag of food. He made it there safely without having any run-ins with anyone. He managed to open his locker door and pull out his food before he was closing the door and noticing Louis was standing on the other side of the door.

Harry raised his eyebrow when Louis continued to stand there without saying anything. He had a troubled look on his face and tensed shoulders. Harry didn't really understand what was going on or why Louis was even there with him.

"What?" Harry finally snapped.

Louis opened his mouth ready to answer back, but then a group of his teammates were walking by them and decided to stop by Louis. They ended up wedging their way between Louis and Harry and pushing Harry back out of their way. Harry stumbled on his feet with a little groan as he saw Louis immediately getting distracted by his teammates.

"Mate, you coming to the party after the game?" One of the players asks, Harry thought his name was Luke.

"There's a party?" Louis questioned confusedly.

"Yeah, we always have a party after home games," Luke had reminded as if it was an absurd idea for Louis to forget such a thing. "You wouldn't know because you don't come to them anymore."

Louis hesitated for a moment before he let out a sigh, "Yeah I'll come, but that means we better kick ass at the game, yeah?"

The group of players ended up dragging Louis away towards the cafeteria. Harry rolled his eyes as he watched Louis disappear before he was turning around to head towards his quiet space.

Harry made his way to the bleachers out by the football pitch and sat down on the third row. Louis ended up not coming out there during that lunch time so Harry ate his food in silence. It was nice getting the needed space from Louis, but it also kind of sucked knowing Louis chose his football friends to eat lunch with rather than with Harry.

When Harry finished his food, he got up from the bleachers to throw his stuff away in the trash. Right when he got to the bin, he noticed Louis was walking out the side doors towards him.

Louis looked up at Harry and gave him a sheepish smile. "Hey,"

"Yes?" Harry sassed, arms crossed over his chest and eyebrow raised.

Louis blew some air out his lips as he continued to walk closer to Harry. He reached his hands up and cupped the lining of Harry's face, letting his thumbs rub gently along his cheekbones., "Sorry about earlier. I guess I didn't realize my teammates missed hanging out with me."

Harry let out a little snort under his breath and shook his head from Louis' hands. "No. They miss the party version of you."

"Well-"

"Well," Harry repeated.

Louis frowned while scratching the back of his neck, not really knowing what to do about the tension between the two of them. He let out a sigh and reached for Harry's arm, gently holding on to his wrist and slowly guiding him towards the doors.

"Well, there is a party tonight," Louis informed quietly, blinking his eyes over at Harry. "I know the lads are going so I was hoping maybe you can go as well."

"So we can hook up?" Harry suddenly snapped. He ripped his arm away from Louis and took a step back from him. "It's been what, a few months since we last had sex?"

"Harry-" Louis warned, finally growing agitated himself. He reached for Harry's hips to pull him in close, but Harry stepped back immediately to lose the contact. Louis seemed more adamant the second time and ended up forcing Harry into his body, keeping his arms locked around Harry's waist to prevent him from pulling away.

"Mind telling me what the hell your problem is?" Louis asked.

Harry let out a bitter laugh as he thought of all the problems going on between him and Louis. All these things that Harry wanted to scream at Louis because it was all driving him mad. But in the end, he knew his words wouldn't do anything to Louis. He knew it wouldn't change anything at all.

Louis would still want them to be a secret. Louis still wouldn't defend Harry in front of his football friends. Louis would still keep up the front that he liked girls and would make sure everyone knew so by surrounding himself with the cheerleading team. And Louis would still keep up his reputation by partying like he doesn't give a shit. So Harry knew it was a waste of time to tell him all these things because nothing would change.

"Just bad day is all," Harry grumbled

"Has Stan bothered you?" Louis then asked under his breath, sounding genuinely concerned.

"No."

Louis smiled in relief and let his body come closer to Harry. Their chest were now pressing together with Louis' arms resting comfortably around Harry's back. "Come to the party after the game, it's going to be fun."

Harry let out a sigh, locking his arms around Louis' neck, and somehow reluctantly agreeing to attend. He knew Liam, Zayn and Niall were going, and Harry always had a good time with them. SO he figured he would hang around them and let Louis do whatever the fuck Louis does at parties.

After lunch had ended, Harry made it with ease through the rest of his classes. When the day had finally ended for him, he met up with the lads to go grab a quick bite to eat before going back to the school to watch the game.

They found seats on the top row of the bleachers by the time both teams were on the field warming up. The game tonight was going to be a tough one since it was against another top school in their area. It probably explained why everyone wanted to party after the game because if they won, it counted for celebration, but if they lost, then it was a perfect excuse to drink the loss away.

Harry was squished in between Liam and Niall when they all sat on the top row. Liam and Zayn were holding hands with one another and resting them together on Liam's lap, which, Harry's eyes kept drawing down to where their hands were clasped, wishing in the back of his mind that he and Louis could do the same one day.

"So what was up with Louis this morning?" Niall asked in the midst of their silence.

Liam let out a grunt and turned towards Harry as well, "Yeah, why was he such a dick to you?"

"He doesn't want anyone to know about us," Harry sighed, blinking his eyes over to see Louis and Stan doing their handshake on the field.

"You're wearing his ring," Liam reminded, causing Zayn to let out a little snort, "And we already know about the two of you."

"Might I add, you guys nearly fucked in the pool at your barbecue," Niall pointed out.

"Plus, you guys make out and hump out here every day at lunch," Zayn noted.

"Yeah, well - no one is supposed to even know about us. Not even you guys," Harry grumbled under his breath, twirling that said ring around his finger and feeling his stomach dropping. "He always says that our relationship is only real _behind closed doors_. Whatever the hell that means."

The conversation was lost when both sides of the crowd started cheering to the start of the game. Louis and the captain of the other school met in the middle with the referee before the game was beginning with the kickoff.

The game was long and drawn out, and Harry really didn't know why he came. It wasn't like he was the happiest with Louis right now, and he only really liked coming to watch him. But even then, football games were too long for him.

North Bridge ended up winning 2-1 with one of those goals being scored by Louis, and the other one assisted by Louis. Everyone was clearing out the stands quickly when the game had finished. The party was at Taylor's house so everyone was in a quick flurry to get there as soon as possible.

Harry followed the lads to Liam's car, and they all carpooled to the party. A lot of people were already there, and the music was blaring loudly. The four of them headed straight towards the kitchen to make themselves drinks. The football players weren't there yet since they still had to shower and clean themselves up, but unfortunately, all the cheerleaders were in the house.

That included Eleanor, who caught Harry's eyes immediately and turned to blatantly talk about Harry to one of her friends. Harry rolled his eyes and quickly filled his cup with the punch set out and downed it in a couple of gulps.

"Mate, don't get too wild," Niall teased.

"Yeah, would hate for you end up sleeping with another girl," Taylor joked from where she was walking into the kitchen as well. She had a teasing smile on her lips as she grabbed Harry's drink to help refill it for him.

"Accident," Harry burped, offering her a weak smile, "Just got cheated on and was drunk. You know how it goes."

"Lemme guess," Taylor played along, sitting herself up on the counter and pouring herself a drink. "Your boyfriend cheated on you with one of those slutty cheerleaders from West Point, yeah?"

"Yeah, my best friends."

Taylor widen her eyes with a grimace and held her drink up in the air. "Drink away bud. Fuck that shit." She smiled as she clinked her plastic cup against Harry's before she was taking a sip along with him. After she swallowed down her gulp, she made a face at the taste of the strong alcohol before she was hopping off the counter and patting Harry's back. "Just stay away from vaginas, and you'll be safe."

"He'd rather have dick," Zayn teased.

Harry let out a little huff and went to push Zayn playfully. Taylor hid her giggle behind another sip of her drink while Liam and Niall bursted out laughing. There was then a loud commotion coming from the living room that caused all their heads to see what it was. Taylor's kitchen had an open archway that showcased the living space, and that was when Harry saw Louis and the football team finally arriving.

Harry caught sight of Louis almost immediately, but instead of Louis seeking out where Harry was, he followed the train of players to a couple of cheerleaders. Louis went right towards Eleanor where she was sipping her drink on the couch, plopping his body down next to her and tossing his arms lazily around her shoulders.

Harry watched them carefully before he downed the rest of his drink and went to refill his cup. "I need another one," he grumbled under his breath.

Taylor had stepped away when the team arrived to go be a proper host. Harry stayed in the kitchen with Liam, Zayn, and Niall and ended up playing a couple of drinking games with them to help him get properly buzzed. He was on his sixth when he could feel his feet swaying more than normal and his head spinning.

He was starting to forget why he was even upset or what caused him to gulp drink after drinks. He felt like he could really enjoy himself with the lads as they all took shots together and made each other chug their drinks. Harry loved it.

And then the four of them ended up going to the living room after a while when the music started playing some songs they knew. They danced around each other and laughed at their dance moves, which had lacked coordination. At one point, Niall even stumbled over his feet and bumped into another person, causing them to spill their drink.

It was nice for Harry to just let loose and not think about anything. He also ended up with another man's hands on his hips while they moved their bodies together. Harry didn't really know who it was, but he had rhythm and was helping Harry sway his body to the beat. Zayn and Liam were even cheering them on as Harry and the stranger moved together as one, causing Harry to laugh and finally turn around to meet his dancer.

"Who are you?" Harry questioned with a smile, admiring the guy's face.

He had smooth skin and a lip ring on his bottom lip. His hair was black and spiked back, green tips on the ends of his hair and small gages in his ear. He wasn't exactly Harry's type, looking a little darker than Harry was used to, but his muscle shirt exposed his toned arms, and the guy seemed perfectly okay with touching Harry on the dance floor.

"Micheal," the guy introduced, yanking Harry closer.

Harry shrugged his shoulders and continued to dance with him. He liked the way they were pressed together as if Micheal didn't care for anyone seeing. His hands wrapped all around Harry's waist and hips so that he could guide Harry with his own body, and all this free will dancing only lasted a few moments before someone was yanking Micheal away from Harry.

Harry stopped dancing with a frown and noticed it was Louis who pulled him back. He had a firm grip on Micheal's arm, leaning in close to whisper something in his ear. Harry watched as Micheal's face twisted into a frown, glancing at Harry for a second before he was rolling his eyes and walking away.

Louis and Harry made eye contact briefly, Louis looking stressed while Harry grew a smile on his face. Harry was drunk enough to not really understand the situation they were in or to really think about his actions. He started dancing again while he started to slowly step his way closer to Louis. He then wrapped his arms around Louis' neck and started swaying his body closer to Louis'. Harry should have known better to do this, but well - he was tipsy. And his drunk state really wanted to dance and be with Louis at the same time.

"Harry," Louis warned right away, reaching up to pull Harry's hands off his neck.

But, Harry refused. He let out a little whine and pressed himself impossibly closer to Louis' body. He even stumbled over his feet and had his chest pressing up against Louis'. Harry tried with great resistance to remain touching Louis whilst still dancing, but Louis was growing more agitated the longer Harry would refuse to let go.

So, Louis took matter into his own hands.

"I said get off of me," Louis then screamed out.

He ripped himself away from Harry with a grunt and pushed Harry back harder than he intended to. Or maybe it wasn't that hard, but Harry was drunk and couldn't stand properly on his feet because Harry ended up stumbling backward and landing on his ass from the impact.

It was like something clicked inside of Harry to sober him up right away because his eyes immediately went wide as he looked up at Louis. He could see everyone around them backing away to give them some room, even circling around Harry as they stared down at his body. He could feel his face heating up in embarrassment and his heart picking up speed at being the center of this unwanted attention.

Louis looked equally as surprised while he stood there staring wide-eyed at Harry. Stan soon came up next to Louis side and began laughing down at Harry's slumped body on the floor. He took a step forward to Harry's body and made a move like he was about to do something, but then Liam and Zayn were stepping in between the two to prevent Stan from doing anything further damage

Harry was still in shock and at a loss for words as Zayn and Liam exchanged some words with Stan while Niall came over to help Harry up. Harry finally gained some sense of self-control and used Niall's hand as a guide to stand. He didn't bother turning to look at Louis or at anyone else in the party, instead, Harry turned straight around and headed for the front door.

Zayn and Liam both glared at Louis one last time, calling out "you're an asshole," before they were following Harry out as well, all of them still beyond stunned that Louis would push Harry in front of half the school.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Harry was pissed, and that honestly could be the understatement of the century at the moment.

After the incident with Louis at the party, Harry was too angry to even acknowledge him. Even the sound of his voice or hearing his name was making Harry's skin crawl in an unsettling way. Harry was beyond embarrassed that he was pushed down in the middle of the party, but the fact that it was Louis who laid his hands on him was what made Harry livid. It kind of made the promise ring he wore on his finger pointless, and it made Harry question why he was even wearing it in the first place.

The possible worst part about this whole thing too was that Louis was oblivious. He continuously attempted to call and text Harry like there was nothing wrong between the both of them, and he expected Harry to simply respond to these unanswered messaged like he did blatantly push Harry down days before.

This tactic didn't stop even when Louis saw Harry at school. Louis was consistently trying to talk to Harry during their music class or even at lunch, sometimes having the audacity to ask Harry what was wrong. It became such a problem for Harry that he ended up not eating lunch outside because he knew Louis would be expecting him there.

It's just that Harry needed the space, and finally days after the obliviousness, Louis realized it as well. He stopped being so invasive with Harry and paused his attempts to talk to the boy. Harry felt relieved that he could finally set aside his issue with Louis and focus more on working on his project for music class. Ironically too, the incident with Louis actually inspired Harry in what to write.

Before leading up to Louis pushing Harry down, Harry had a writer's block. He had no idea what to write about other than love and romance, but he wanted to be different. He wanted to tell a story with his song, and after the incident, he was able to put his mind into lyrics. Thankfully too, because Harry was fast approaching the due date, and this incident with Louis really helped get his shit together to make sure his song was done in time.

He titled the song, _Fools Gold_. The song was ideally about romance, but the meaning behind it ran much deeper than somebody falling in love. If anything, his relationship with Louis was the main baseline for the words. With how inconsistent their relationship was and how uncommitted Louis could be at times, Harry wrote the song predicting what the future of their relationship would be if nothing about them changed.

 _Fool's Gold_ was about one sided love. The main character in the song ended up falling in love with someone they shouldn't, someone they knew didn't love them back. At first, the character felt like their was something real in the relationship, thinking the other person loved them in return, but they soon realized they were fooled in thinking such a thing. Despite knowing this, the character can't help but continue to be fooled by this person and continue to fall in love with them daily.

Putting all the pieces of the song together, it really was about Harry. Harry felt like he faced a constant battle for falling for someone he shouldn't have. He sometimes felt like Louis would play him in the continuous game that was going on between Louis and Reid, and sometimes Harry felt like he was only ever needed when Louis needed sex. Harry was the fool. Because even at times he would see Louis in a different light and really think that person could having feelings for him in return, but then Louis would do something - like push him down in front of a lot of people - and make Harry completely second guess everything.

Harry fell for Louis' _Fool's Gold_.

Harry had turned his song in by the end of the class and quickly tried to push his way out the door. He wanted to be quick in getting out the classroom so Louis wouldn't be able to grab a hold of him. Even though Louis wasn't as persistent in talking to Harry, there were still some attempts being made.

Leading up to the due date of the assignment, Louis constantly begged Harry to just listen. He had begged Harry so many times during the week for Harry to read his song. Harry didn't understand why Louis was so keen on Harry reading the words on the paper. If there was some message in the song that Harry needed to know, then Harry figured Louis should simply say it.

But, Louis would not stop. He continuously followed Harry down the hallways and called out his name loud enough for people to hear. And it didn't help that people were still talking about the incident because every time Louis said Harry's name, it had all eyes back on Harry. Harry knew Louis was chasing him down the hallways and calling out his name because he wanted them to talk, however, to the people outside the situation, it genuinely looked like Louis was going after Harry.

Harry was turning a corner to walk down a different hallway, in his attempt to escape Louis, when he suddenly saw Stan, Oli, and Calvin approaching the other end. Harry stopped in his spot when the three lads walked right up to him, preventing him from moving forward. Louis was right behind Harry and had to abruptly stop when he turned the corner as well, widening his eyes when he noticed why Harry stopped.

"Hey, Tommo. This queer bothering you?" Stan questioned with a growing scowl.

Harry was ready to make a comment back, probably a sassy one that would end with another round of his ass hitting the floor, but Louis actually stepped forward, causing the words to die down in Harry's throat. Harry had the brief second of fear that Louis was genuinely about to do something, but he ended up walking past Harry to stand next to Stan and the other two, now facing Harry with a troubling frown.

"No, everything's fine."

"We could teach him a lesson," Oli suggested.

Stan didn't wait for a response and ended up moving on his own accord. He had pushed Harry back against the lockers and pinned them there with a firm grip on his shoulders. Oli's smirked grew right away as he and Calvin joined Stan, each taking a side to press their leg up against Hary's. Harry's eyes widen when he realized he had no where to go, even thrashing his body a little to see his range. When he realized he not moving space, his eyes flicked over to Louis' with a pleading look on his face. Louis stared back dumbfounded, eyes darting to all the places that was pinning Harry to the locker.

"C'mon Tommo. Wide open shot," Stan grunted, shifting his arms so he could press his forearm up against Harry's neck.

Harry let out a weak cough at the shift in their positions before he looked at Louis again, hardening his glare when he saw Louis was thinking about something. In all honesty, this was the moment for Harry. There was this unspoken ultimatum Harry felt growing between him and Louis that could be the defying point in their relationship. Obviously, if Louis succumb to Stan's level and actually hurt Harry again, Harry was walking away and never looking back. However, if Louis finally found it in his heart to actually defend Harry, then Harry would stay in this with him.

Harry was just simply tired of playing this continuous game with Louis. He hated it. Harry never knew when Louis was going to be the good guy or the bad guy. The first time Louis ever chose to be the bad guy, Harry had felt uncomfrotable. Sure, Louis had warned Harry what he was doing and didn't do much harm to Harry other than toss him around to play the act, but in the back of Harry's mind, it was nagging at him that something like that would happen again. And here it was, Louis being in the face of hurting Harry or walking away.

"Let's go, Tommo. Finish what you started," Oli added when the growing silence between the lot of them continued to grow.

Louis took a slow step forward when Stan glanced his way briefly. It showed on his facial expression and hesitant movements that Louis still had no idea what to do, but the minute Louis looked up at Harry again, ready to give him a silent apology, he noticed Harry's eyes darkening. Louis swallowed nervously from the look and took another step closer to Stan. He let out a deep breath as he eyes scanned at every body part pinning Harry to the lockers before he was letting out a weak laugh.

"Alright, lads. As much as I would enjoy to finishing off what happened at the party, don't you think we've caused him enough trouble already?" Louis questioned the three of them, offering them a coy smirk when they turned their heads his way. "If I do remember correctly, he's the one who ended up with his ass on the floor in front of everyone."

Stan let out a little grunt and ended up removing his hands from Harry. He gave a look at Oli and Calvin which in returned made them step back from Harry as well. Harry felt relief flood his system as he slumped back against the lockers, attempting to steady his breathing by taking in slow, deep breaths. Stan, Oli and Calvin moved to stand on either side of Louis, now all four of them watching Harry with stupid and cocky smirks on their faces.

Harry rolled his eyes at their expression and attempted to straighten himself up by smoothing out his clothes. Louis was the one who stepped forward again just when Harry thought they were finished. Their eyes made contact again, and Louis was pleading so desperately on his facial expression for Harry to understand. And Harry did, as much as he tried to understand, but it didn't make any of this easier for him to handle. It grew annoying time after time he found the two of them in this position.

Louis breathed out his nose and gave Harry a brief, private smile before he was continuing with the act. His cocky smirk reappaeared on his face and his dominant deameanor back in show. Louis stepped closer to Harry and began running his fingers along the lining of his jaw, in what looked to be in a teasing, mocking sort of way. It had the three boys behind Louis snickering under their breaths, but it had Harry jerking his head away to lose that skin on skin contact..

"Just remember this," Louis began with, setting his hands on his hips, "You won't be so luck next time."

Louis gave Harry wink before he was obnoxiously patting his shoulder roughly. Harry let out a grumble and tried slapping Louis' hand away, but it was gone before he had the chance to. Louis motioned his head for the other three lads to follow him with leaving. Harry stayed pressed up against the lockers while watching the four of them begin to disappear down the hallway.

As annoying as that whole interaction was, it worked. Whatever Louis had done, it made Stan leave him alone, and that's all Harry had to say about that.

By the time lunch had approached, Harry knew that Louis would be looking for him. It had been the same thing happening for the past week, but after what happened in the hallway, Harry knew that Louis would be more persistent in talking to the boy. However, Harry still wasn't ready to face Louis alone. He needed more time to think about everything that happened and really have a talk with himself if this relationship with Louis is something he wanted to continue with.

Harry ended up eating lunch in his car, and considering it was parked right at the front of the school and by the footbal pitch, he could see Louis walking over to the bleachers in search of him. Harry felt slightly guilty knowing that Louis was looking for him while he was clearly trying to avoid Louis, but it was also a little saddening seeing Louis sit out in the bleachers for the entire lunch hoping Harry would show up.

Obviously, Harry never met up with him. Harry waited until the end of the hour bell rang for Louis to leave the area before he felt safe enough to do so as well. He managed to make it to his next few classes without coming into contact with Louis. Normally Harry would see Louis passing in the hallways, but Harry went out of his way to avoid seeing him.

Harry had made it to his last class of the day feeling a lot more stressed than when he started. Harry never realized trying to avoid someone took a lot of energy to do so, by the time he was walking into his English class, he felt exhausted. He hated that he was constantly on the look out to make sure he didn't run into Louis. It was almost as worse as Harry trying to avoid the football team considering Louis had been actively seeking him out all week.

Harry walked into the class and saw Zayn already sitting at his desk. His feet were propped on top while he was aimlessly scrolling through his phone. Harry walked up and took the seat next to Zayn, which caused Zayn to immediately drop his phone and turn his attention straight to Harry. "Hey, I heard about what happened in the hallway. Are you ready to tell Louis to fuck off?"

Harry let out a laugh as he slumped into his seat, resting his elbows on top of the desk and massaging the sides of his head with his fingers. "I really want to, but it's just hard, you know?"

"It's hard because you're in love with him," Zayn implied carefully, causing Harry to raise his eyebrows. "And you know deep down he may feel the same towards you. He's just obviously going through some personal stuff that's making him an idiot."

"So why give up on him?"

Zayn shrugged, "Well, maybe you shouldn't give up on him, but you definitely need to make him realize what is important."

"What do you mean?" Harry twisted his lips, dropping his hands flat on the desk and turning to look at Zayn.

"You need to do or say something that will scare Louis into genuinely believing he's lost you. That is what will give you your answer because if he really knows what's important to him - you or his reputation - then he'll fight for it. He'll realize the hard way."

Zayn had a point, Harry thought just about the time the teacher was walking into the classroom.

This had been an internal battle going on constantly in Harry's mind over the past few months. He didn't know if he should stick it out and hope that at the end of all this bullshit that he and Louis really could have a real relationship. Or he didn't know if he should focus on himself and leave Louis for the sake of his own happiness. Harry had no idea what to do, even weighing the options of both, he felt stumped.

Harry had done his best to be understanding and patient with what Louis had been going through, but at the same time, enough should be enough. He had also seen the best sides of Louis, the one who was goofy and cheeky, the one who made all of this worth the struggles. Louis has proven to Harry that he could be romantic and spontaneous for Harry. He had shown Harry glimpses of what it would be like if they were a real couple, but none of his efforts really meant anything to Harry if all Louis cared about was his reputation.

Harry let Zayn's advice run through his mind all throughout the class which prevented him from actually learning. He also let it continue to pester his mind while walking to his car at the end of the hour bell. Harry had noticed that over the past couple of months, Zayn had been the best person for Harry to talk to about his situation with Louis. Zayn never sugar-coated anything and wasn't biased. He was straight up, which was something Harry needed at the moment.

Harry made it down the steps to the front entrance of the school before he felt his arm being tugged by another person. Harry immediately knew who's hands were gripping on to his bicep before he even had the chance to look. Harry groaned and immediately ripped his arm away from Louis' hold and continued walking towards his car without giving Louis a chance to talk.

"Harry, please," Louis whined, "Let me talk, please."

"You've said enough," Harry snapped in return.

Harry made it all the way to his car before Louis jumped in between to intercept Harry from getting in. Harry stepped back with a huff and crossed his arms over his chest, staring back at Louis with an unamused look. In all honesty, Harry just wanted to get home and drown himself with some hot tea, but well - Louis was in his way.

"You don't understand, please," Louis begged, not making any attempt of moving away from the driver's door. "I'm so fucking sorry, okay? I'm a real fucking dick for pushing you down like that. I had no idea what even came over me, and I really fucking hate that I do this shit to you because I really do want to be with you. I really do want all the boyfriend stuff between us, but I'm scared, and I need you to trust me and not give up on me. I'm trying."

"Louis," Harry sighed in response, sounding clearly tired and fed up with everything. He relaxed his arms by his side and shook his head. "I get that, okay? But you need to keep us a secret is what gets you in trouble in the first place. I'm not asking you to shout it out that we're together, but I would like it if you stopped letting your friends have this influence over you. I'm tired of you playing this guy who can't even be a few feet away from me without having other people try to get you to hit me. I'm over it."

"I'm trying," Louis cried desperately, "I'm doing my best. I promise, okay?"

"Whatever," Harry rolled his eyes.

Louis' shoulders slumped in response when Harry showed he was clearly done with this conversation. He ended up moving out the way when Harry reached for the car door to open it. Louis watched as Harry got inside his car, the two of them making eye contact with one another before Harry focused on starting his vehicle up. Harry broke the eye contact so he could look behind him while backing out, and once he was pulled out his spot, he drove out the school lot without looking in his rearview mirror for Louis.

Harry's head was pounding, and he felt like his mind was racing with so many things at the moment that it was hard for him to focus. He didn't realize how much stress was weighing down on his body until he was able to be alone in the quiet. After driving down the main road, the one leading into the entrance of the school parking lot, Harry had pulled up to a stop sign to give him a chance to clear his mind. There were no cars around, so he figured he could take a few extra seconds in sitting at this stop sign before he continued his drive home.

Harry let out a deep sigh and ended up leaning forward so his head rested on his steering wheel. He could feel tears starting to water up his eyes and his headache beginning to grow more. He really wished he was already home curled up on the couch, but instead he still had a ten minute drive before he actually got home.

At the thought, Harry lifted his head, except, Harry only got a few seconds of peace before he noticed a car coming in hot from the rearview mirror. The main road he was on angled down a hill to where the stop sign was, so typically drivers had to go slow when driving on this part of the road. But within the few seconds of Harry lifting his head off the steering wheel, he could see the car coming down the hill was traveling too fast for him to stop in enough time, and just as Harry expected, the car ended up rear-ending Harry's.

Harry's reaction wasn't in enough time to press the gas or get out the way. Instead, within the split second of seeing the car, he felt the impact from the back causing his head to jerk forward. His forehead slammed against the steering wheel before jerking back again and slamming against the cushion of his seat. Harry blinked his eyes a few times to regain his vision when it turned spotty, but the collision his head made was causing his neck massive amounts of pain.

His vision started to go in and out, making it hard for him to see or focus. Harry thought he was trying to reach for his phone that was in the cupholder, but for some reason, it seemed too far away. He could faintly make out the person in the car behind him stepping out to access the damage, but the minute Harry closed his eyes again, he couldn't remember at all what happened.

Because suddenly, hours later, Harry was slowly coming to life in a hospital room. So he concluded he must have passed out at some point and someone managed to call the paramedics for him. He could barely remember the sound of sirens stinging his ear and his body being shifted around to get him in the ambulance vehicle, but other than that, he really didn't have much recollection of how he got hit.

Harry woke up in the hospital bed, still dressed in his clothes. So it was relieving to know his injury had not been bad enough to put him in an overnight gown. The only thing that was bothering Harry at the moment was the neck brace around his neck and the IV in his arm. His upper felt too stiff to move and he really had no place to turn his head, so he continued to lay flat on the bed until he heard the door opening of a nurse coming in.

"Oh, perfect. I was just coming in to check up on you," the nurse greeted with when she walked in. She walked over to the couch next to Harry's bed and held a clipboard out in front of her. "I'm going to ask you a series of questions, and I want you to answer them the best you can. The first one is, how are you feeling?"

"Alright," Harry grumbled, "My head and neck kind of hurt."

"On a scale of 1-10, how badly?"

"Probably 8."

The nurse nodded her head as if she was expecting such an answer. "Next question, What was the last thing you remember?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders, trying his best to look at the nurse from the position that he was laying in. "I remember leaving school and being at the stop sign."

"That's pretty good. Normally after an accident, the brain doesn't register the actual impact of the collision. But from what I heard, you were stopped at a stop sign and a car was coming too fast down the road to stop in time," she had explained to Harry, which caused Harry to shiver at the thought of being in a car accident. "You hit your head on the steering wheel and then against the back of the seat, so you are suffering a minor concussion. You have a laceration across the right side of your frontal, but we were able to clean and stitch it up when you arrived."

Harry thanked her under his breath and began twisting his body uncomfortably. He started to get antsy lying in this stiff position, not being able to move his neck at all. He let out a little whine as he reached to grab the neck brace around his neck. "Can you take this off? It's uncomfortable."

"Yes we can take it off," The nurse stood up from the chair and unlatched the straps of the brace. "Be careful though. Your spine and neck didn't suffer any damage, but your neck will be sore from the whiplash."

The nurse placed the neck brace off to the side before she was handing Harry a remote for the bed. She explained what each of the buttons mean and helped Harry angle his bed into an upright position. Once Harry was settled enough, the nurse walked out of the room to go get Anne. The minute she walked inside the room, she immediately ran over to Harry with tears in her eyes, cupping the sides of his cheeks and pressing kisses all over his face.

"Oh my goodness. I can't believe you got hit," she cried, pulling back so she could admire the scar on Harry's forehead, gently tracing the lining of it with her finger. "Wow, the stupid idiot must've been driving so fast to hit your car that hard."

"I'm okay, mum," Harry mumbled under his breath.

"Oh my, I'm so happy Louis called me when it happened. I didn't know-"

"Wait, what?" Harry tilted his head, frowning at his mother, "Louis called you? He was there?"

Anne smiled, almost too cockily for Harry's liking. "He was the one who called the ambulance."

"I-I didn't know he was there," Harry confessed with a frown, twisting his lips to the side.

"Apparently he was driving down the same road just after the collision happened. He said he saw the girl leaning on the hood of her car with blood on the side of her head, and then he noticed your car was the one she hit," Anne explained. "He went to you and called me off your phone before calling the paramedics for you the girl."

Anne and Harry were interrupted from the conversation when the door to his room opened up. The nurse was standing in the entryway at first, but then she motioned her hands towards the inside of the room as if she was showing another person where it was. Shortly after, Louis was walking past the nurse and entering the room, chewing on his bottom lip once coming into Harry's view.

Harry gave Louis a welcoming smile once noticing how hesitant he was for being there. It really was his parting gift for Louis considering he was there who helped Harry after the accident. If anything, Harry's heart started beating faster since he had walked in, and Harry was thankful enough he wasn't hooked to a heart monitor at the moment.

"Hey," Harry offered, seeing his mother smiling between the both of them.

Harry patted the open spot next to him on the bed signaling Louis to come join him, but then Louis paused his walking and grew wide eyes. Harry frowned at the reaction, but then he was seeing Louis shake his head no before he was flicking his eyes over to where Anne was sitting on the armchair next to the bed. Harry frowned immediately at the reminder they _weren't alone_ and turned towards his mother hoping she didn't see any of that. Because it was at that moment that Harry remembered him and Louis were still supposed to be a secret, even to his own mother.

"Louis, dear. You can come sit here if you want," Anne had suggested. She stood up from the armchair and motioned for Louis to take it, slowly making her way towards the door as she did so, "I know how worried you must have been. So sweet to take care of our boy like that."

Louis' breath hitched in his throat, blatantly swallowing down the lump in his throat. His eyes shifted from Anne to Harry, soon settling on the spot Anne left open for him to sit at. "Oh, no ma'am. I was just honestly passing by," Louis then excused, making Harry roll his eyes. "I wasn't going to leave him there like that. I'm sure any of his _friends_ would have done the same thing."

Anne bit her lip and quickly turned to look at Harry. Harry casted his eyes downward to avoid any scrutinizing glances from his own mother and hoped that she would take the hint to not push anymore. Anne turned back to Louis and offered him a sweet smile as she reached for the doorknob.

"Well, thank you anyway."

She left shortly after that to give Harry and Louis some time alone, and that's when Harry realized his mood had changed in not wanting to see Louis anymore. His first initial thought when seeing Louis was pure joy and even relief, but after Louis tried to brush off their relationship to Harry's own mother, it easily made Harry grouchy. Louis couldn't even humor Anne after she had just discovered her son got hit by a car. He cared more about not letting anyone else know about them than admitting he cared enough about Harry to help him.

The minute the two of them were alone, Louis rushed straight towards Harry's side. He quickly cupped the sides of Harry's cheeks and began pressing kisses all over his face. Louis began mumbling a mantra of apologizes towards Harry and whispering that he was okay, but the second Louis moved his lips to actually kiss Harry, Harry pushed him away.

"You don't get to do that."

Louis looked appalled, blinking blankly at Harry, "What?"

" _Friends_?" Harry snapped, feeling a rush of dizziness go straight to his head at the increase in his voice. "What the fuck?"

"Harry, we are a secret. No one is supposed to know."

"My mother already knows you twat," Harry then growled, his anger starting to really kick in. He began digging his fingers into the cushion of the mattress and clenching on tightly when he started to feel a pounding in his head. He tried to brush it away and direct all his anger towards Louis, but that incisive thumping was driving him even madder.

"Why do you have to even hide it from her? That's so embarrassing," Harry continued with a cry.

"Harry-" Louis attempted as he reached for Harry's hand, but Harry quickly slapped it away.

Louis drew his hand back immediately and looked at Harry as if he had just burned him. He stepped away from Harry and gave him the space that he seemed to have wanted, but he still looked completely confused and shock. Harry was now in tears while staring at Louis, unable to control his emotions as the weight of the day started to finally set in on him.

He realized he may have looked a little crazy, but Louis had pushed him to this.

"You can't even tell my own mother that you helped your boyfriend - _or whatever the fuck we are_ \- get to the hospital after getting hit by a car. Not only that, you can't even tell anyone who I am to you because of how fucking scared you are of what people will think."

"Harry-" Louis warned, this time adding a little bite to his tone, but it only infuriated Harry more.

"No, you listen," Harry cried out.

He could feel his face flushing red from how angry he was and his vision being clouded over by tears, but he still held his ground. He lifted his left hand up for Louis to see the ring on his finger before he was sliding it completely off. He then shoved it straight into Louis' chest and pushed him away from the bed, finally reaching the last straw and breaking down.

"You said behind closed doors we're together, well the door is closed right now, and I'm done with this shit. We're done, Louis. Whatever you promised to me, I don't want it anymore."

"Harry," Louis whined, stepping closer to the bed and clutching the ring close to his body, almost like he couldn't believe he had it back in his possession.

"You can see yourself out."

Harry didn't bother to watch when Louis left, instead, he tried his best to bite back the tears until he was finally alone to let them fall freely.

 

//

 

Harry was able to miss a few days of school due to his concussion, so he had a good amount of recovering from that plus a good amount of recovering from his break up with Louis. It had been nice for Harry not having to worry about seeing Louis or coming in to contact with him. Granted, he didn't have much of an option since he had to stay home, but still - it was a relief.

In fact, Louis hadn't messaged Harry at all since the whole incident. Even Zayn mentioned to Harry that Louis had skipped a couple days of school whilst Harry was still at home. Which, that wasn't exactly the reaction Harry was expecting from Louis. He didn't necessarily know what to expect, but he did hope this break up with Louis would cause Louis to make better choices - which in fact, he was doing the opposite.

Because Harry heard about the party over the weekend, the one that took place after the football team won their home match. He got all the details from Niall, Liam, and Zayn who all attended, and apparently, the party was at Stan's house. However, instead of Louis hanging off any girl he found, like Harry kind of expected, he was told that Louis was hanging around the alcohol

Harry tried not to let it bother him much, but Niall was keeping an eye on Louis the entire night and ended up confessing to Harry how miserable he looked. It was just days after they broke up, and Niall was saying that Louis was completely out of his element. Even at the football match they had, Louis managed to make a few goals, but even people in the stands could see that he was off his game that day.

And Harry couldn't help but worry just a little bit. He did know how much Louis was going through with at home, trying to manage his sisters, working a part-time job, and making sure his mother is okay, so this breakup with Harry was probably drama he didn't want to be dealing with. But, Harry had enough. As much as Harry felt for Louis and his struggles outside of school, he couldn't keep letting Louis use that as an excuse to treat him so poorly. So however Louis decided to deal with their break up was his business because Harry was done letting it bother him.

Harry was finally back at school once he was cleared from his concussion. He had to brace himself with coming in to contact with Louis today, and he didn't know which he dreaded more, having to talk to him or seeing the state that he was in. It had been a week since Harry was last at school, so being back had felt a little weird.

He and Louis sat next to each other in music class in complete silence. Louis didn't try to talk or touch Harry in any way, and Harry didn't bother to look at Louis at all. It was the first time Harry had seen Louis since the hospital, so he wasn't entirely sure what he should have expected. Louis looked exhausted. He had bags under his eyes and some stubble growing on his chin.

He wasn't dressed up like he normally was. He wore joggers and a loose hoodie, his hair messy across his face. He really did look like he was going through a heartbreak, but at the same time, he also looked like he had the weight of the world weighing down on his shoulders. Harry didn't necessarily know if Louis' look was directed to their break up or to something else, but he knew he was struggling himself to be okay considering he really did grow feelings for Louis.

Harry managed to get out of music class without bumping into Louis. He probably could have thanked Zayn for that one because Zayn had pulled Louis aside to talk to him, so Harry found that as a perfect opportunity to scoot out the class without being stopped. However, Harry had thought he freed himself from Louis when he was making his way towards his locker, but he didn't realize Louis had actually caught up to him.

Harry was passing the doors that led to the back staircase before he felt Louis grab his arm. Harry let out a grunt as Louis ended up dragging Harry into the room with the stairs. After Harry tumbled in after Louis and managed to get right on his feet, he looked up at Louis with a scowl.

"What Louis?"

"Can we talk?" He asked quietly, stuffing his hands in his jacket pocket.

"We've already done enough talking, Louis. What more do you need to say?" Harry questioned, raising his eyebrow and crossing his arms over his chest defensively. "You can't say or do anything right now to make me give you a second chance."

"Harry, please-" he pleaded desperately.

Louis stepped up into Harry's space and reached for his shoulders. He held on to Harry tightly while staring straight into Harry's eyes, hoping he could show Harry how desperate he was, but Harry wasn't in the mood for this. He shrugged Louis off of him and walked around his body to prevent them from touching anymore.

"I told you that I'm done with this," Harry stated before he was exiting out the room and leaving Louis behind.

Harry managed to make it through the next few classes without having to face Louis. It was hard for him to stay focused long enough to listen to the teacher, but he really was suffering a heartbreak. The two of them may have not actually been together, but Harry knew he was in love with Louis. So it was harder for him to just move on and act like nothing happened when Harry had fallen so hard for Louis.

It also wasn't easy on Harry not knowing how Louis felt about the whole thing. It wasn't like Harry was going to straight up ask, but at the same time, he was still very indecisive on Louis' feelings. Harry could make all the assumptions he wanted and listen to what his friends thought, but none of it really meant anything until Louis was the one to tell Harry himself.

By the time it was lunch, Harry was more than relieved to take a break from the vicinity of the school. He was looking forward to spending his lunch out in the bleachers this time around considering his previous lunches were spent in his car. As Harry was turning down the hallway the back doors were in, he caught sight of Nick who quickly followed along Harry.

"Hey, what are you doing for lunch?" Harry questioned with a smile.

Nick shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing, really. I was just about to start setting the flyers out for the final dance."

Harry widened his eyes and stopped walking, gripping on to Nick's arm with a frown. "The final dance is already coming up?"

Nick let out a small laugh as he held up one of the papers on top of the stack he was holding. Harry twisted his lips to the side when he grabbed the flyer and read the title, _A Night To Remember_. Then Harry's eyes drifted to the top right corner where it stated the date of the dance, and Harry let out a breathy laugh when he noticed it was next Friday.

The announcement must have been officially made when Harry was out with his concussion, so it came to a surprise to know it was already time for the end of the year dance. It was a monumental thing everyone looked forward to their final year at school. It was a common dance that happened all across England schools where the students in their final year would come together for the last dance in their most formal attire. The idea stemmed from Prom, something seniors did in America, and this was basically that.

It was a night for everyone to dress their best and get together in big groups to celebrate their final hoorah before graduating. The dance was scheduled to be at the _La Grange_ hotel in downtown Manchester, a big enough venue to fit the student body in one of their grand ballrooms. Harry had been looking forward to this since his second year at West Point, which was the time he had a boyfriend to actually go to the dance with, but of course, things had changed and he didn't have a date.

Harry and Nick continued walking down the hallway before Harry was guiding Nick out the back doors. He ended up dragging Nick to his favorite spot on the bleachers and ate lunch with him out there. They sat side by side on the third row in complete silence, Nick peacefully looking out at the pitch while Harry ate his sandwich.

However, as time passed, Harry noticed that the silence between them was starting to become uncomfortable. He could sense something was bothering Nick, and when he turned his head to take a look at him, Harry noticed that Nick was staring at him with a nervous expression on his face.

"What?" Harry asked, laughing a little when he noticed Nick widening his eyes.

"So _uh_ , I was thinking," he said slowly, scratching the back of his head, "A certain someone hasn't already asked you to the final dance have they?"

Harry looked at Nick and froze, wondering if Nick was about to ask him as his date to the dance. Harry had always imagined himself with a date when he went, and he always pictured there being a moment when he would get a grand and excessive proposal asked by his boyfriend, but he was single, so his grand gesture of being asked was now just a dream.

Harry had figured he would go with his friends to the dance, that much he assumed, so he knew he wouldn't necessarily be alone. He also knew Liam and Zayn were going together, and he wasn't so sure who Niall had snatched, but Harry wouldn't mind going with Nick. It's not like he was waiting for Louis to ask him considering he broke things off with him. And Harry did tell Nick he would give him a chance if things didn't work out with Louis and well - maybe it was Nick's turn now.

It wouldn't hurt for Harry to get to know Nick more. It wouldn't hurt to try to see him as more than just a friend and maybe attempt to see what it would be like to be in a relationship with him. Nick had been patient and supportive of Harry this whole time, and maybe Harry was finally ready to give him what he wanted.

"Yeah," Harry smiled, soon realizing what he said by the drop in Nick's expression before he was quickly correcting himself. "I mean, no. Louis and I aren't going together, and if you were to ask me, I'd say yes. That's what I meant."

"Really?" He asked hopeful, "What about Louis?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders, "I'm done with him."

"Like done, done?"

"Yes, I officially broke up with him last week."

"Wow," Nick breathed out, eyes crinkling by the sides as his lips curved into a smile. "So does this mean I get my shot?"

"Possibly," Harry smirked. "If you happen to convince me well enough."

"What about this weekend?" He asked right away, "There's this jazz studio right by my house that's having a special on Saturday. Free booze and food. And lots of dancing."

"You want to go dancing?" Harry giggled, thinking how absurd of an idea it was.

Nick nodded his head right away, "It sounds weird, I know, but it's really fun. My sister and I used to go all the time when we were younger, but I figured maybe take a date. There's free stuff, how could you not say yes to that?"

"Very true," Harry rolled his eyes, letting out a breathy laugh from actually considering this dancing date.

It was different than any date Harry had been on, and Harry was all for out of the box and creative things. It's not like Reid took Harry anywhere other than to the movies or the mall. And the only date Harry and Louis had been on was at the Italian restaurant - well, and maybe on Harry's roof would be considered a date as well. Other than that, Harry was starting to think this date with Nick could be a fun thing.

"I'm horrid at dancing just so you know," Harry informed as he finished up the rest of his lunch.

"I figured," he agreed with a nod, "But it's different, you know?"

"Are you gonna kiss me?" Harry then teased, biting his lip and bumping Nick's shoulders.

"If the date leads to it, then possibly."

"Fair enough."

The bell for the end of the hour rung, and the two of them headed back inside the school together. Harry had managed to make it the rest of his day without having any more run-ins with unwanted people, and he often felt like his days were mostly him trying to avoid someone. Harry hated that this time it was Louis who he was trying to avoid, only because he didn't want Louis to find a way to make him cave.

All in all, Harry needed to move on from Louis, and maybe Nick was the one to help him do that.

After school ended, Harry and the lads planned to meet to go over their performance for music class. It was their last project for their final grade, and they needed to start planning out all the details in their performance. Louis was in the group as well, but because he had football practice, he couldn't attend this meeting.

Which, that was a major relief for Harry. He wanted to focus more on the song and the singing parts rather than Louis trying to talk to him the whole time.

"So, I think we should do the song Liam wrote," Zayn suggested, handing Harry and Niall the lyrics once all of them got situated in the living room.

"Why not mine?" Niall asked offended. "You can't pick favorites just because you two bone."

"Shut up, your song talks about being fat and old," Liam rolled his eyes, sitting on the floor to the join their circle after bringing everyone a round of drinks.

"Yes, _Act My Age_ ," Niall recited, "Has a nice Irish ring to it."

"I feel like we should do Liam's too," Harry agreed once he read the lyrics, "This is amazing. How did you even come up with this?"

Liam shrugged nonchalantly while leaning back on his elbows. He crossed his feet out in front of him and smiled when Zayn leaned his head on his shoulder, "I wanted to try something different. Use song titles to make lyrics."

" _Better Than Words_ ," Harry mumbled to himself. "Would you know who sings what parts?"

"Yeah, how do you know if our voices will even mesh together or who could sing?" Zayn then asked curiously.

"Well, I picture this song guitar and bass-heavy. Kind of a rock tune, so I was thinking Niall can play the guitar, and maybe Zayn can use the electric keyboard to mix tunes together," Liam explained, "I already know the three of us don't mind singing. It's up to you and Louis if you want to sing as well. I just know Louis is insecure about it."

"Wait, why is Louis insecure about singing?" Harry then questioned, sounding more worried than he intended to.

"He thinks his voice is too high pitched," Liam sighed with an eye roll, "And Stan used to joke with him saying it made him sound gay."

"That's stupid."

Liam shook his head and sat straight up, "I agree, but, anyway, I think we should all sing because it'll help us get a higher grade."

The other two agreed with Liam before they started to think some more on how to make this performance the best. They managed to get a layout of how they wanted the beat to the song go and what lyrics each of them wanted to sing, but then that creative fuse started to burn out and they ended up talking about the dance.

Zayn was bragging about how his and Liam's tuxedos coordinated in color, even though they haven't seen what the other one bought. So the two of them were excited to see what the other would end up wearing when the day of the dance came up. Then Zayn turned his attention to Niall and started questioning who he would bring to the dance, making Niall blush when he didn't have an answer to the question.

It was nice for Harry to feel included in their group and knowing he had a secure spot in going to the dance with them. They had already planned everything out and included Harry within the plans without a second thought. Zayn's parents were renting a limo for them to arrive at the hotel with, and the best part about it was that the inside of the limo was stocked with booze.

After a few moments of Zayn pestering Niall, it seemed the questions were then being directed over towards Harry, but only because Niall wanted that attention on someone else rather than on him.

"So, you have a date, Haz?" Niall asked. "Because I can take ya."

Harry chewed nervously on his bottom lip as his eyes darted down to the ground. "Yeah," he muttered under his breath.

"It's not Louis is it?" Liam then frowned

"No," Harry answered right away, "It's Nick."

"Good," Zayn said with a smile, "That'll show Louis."

 

//

 

Harry may not talk to any of his old friends, but he was still able to see what they were doing through social media. And from all the posts he had been seeing from the lot of them, he started to feel nostalgia. He saw Cara and the rest of the girls going out together on a shopping day to pick out dresses for their final dance at West Point.

Harry remembered when they were first all becoming friends that they would talk about going to the dance together. They would plan the day they would go shopping and help pick out each other's dresses and Harry's tuxedo, but now that the time was finally there, it kind of stung Harry's heart to see them doing all of that without him.

The worst of what he had seen online was a video Cara uploaded just a few days prior. Harry never knew Reid could be romantic, from what he had experienced himself, but the video Cara uploaded was one of Reid asking her to the dance in front of half the school. It was sweet, and for once, Harry could actually see a side of Reid that was in love with someone. It made Harry angry, but it wasn't Harry's battle anymore. He just really didn't know when this flame had lit between Cara and Reid and why it continued to grow, not knowing was the worst of it.

Harry was waiting around his house for Nick to pick him up for their date. He had been looking forward to this distraction and realized he didn't mind Nick's company, if anything, he was starting to enjoy it a lot more than he used to.

Harry managed a few moments of peace on his couch before he felt his phone buzzing on the cushion next to him. He quickly reached for it and clicked it on to see who it was from. The message was from Zayn, and it read " _Louis isn't going to prom with our group. He's going with Stan. Sorry mate but I think Eleanor is his date"_ which caused Harry's mood to instantly deflate.

Harry stared coldly down at his screen as he read the message over and over again. He felt like his skin was heating up with anger, and he could feel his fist subconsciously clenching together to help alleviate his stress. This was something he really didn't want to see happening or something he wanted to hear right before going on a date, but it was out there, and Harry was fucking annoyed.

"Fuck," Harry yelled out, feeling slightly better after the little outburst.

Harry willed himself not to cry over the whole ordeal when he noticed Nick was pulling up the driveway. He really didn't want to go into this date in such a poor mood considering Nick had done nothing to deserve it. So, Harry quickly regrouped himself and hurried out the door to get inside Nick's car, but Nick must have been better at reading body language and facial expressions than Harry thought because he seemed to immediately know something was bothering Harry.

"Hey, you okay?"

Harry let out a sigh as he buckled himself up, "Little frustrated," he started with, but soon he was turning to give Nick a smile. "But this date will make me feel so much better."

Nick nodded his head and didn't press any further, more focused on backing out the driveway to give Harry the silence he needed. He drove the two of them to the dance studio that was only a few streets over from Harry's house, so it was a quick trip getting there. The ride was silent the whole way there, but it wasn't awkward at all. In fact, it gave Harry time to cleanse his mind while looking out the window and thinking of positive things to lift his mood.

Harry didn't realize he was even zoned out until he felt Nick gently shake his arm. Harry flinched at the touch and shook his head out of whatever trance he was in only to realize that Nick had been parked in front of the studio. Harry offered a weak smile when Nick raised his eyebrow at him.

"Definitely need to loosen up" Nick suggested with a smile.

"To the booze."

"Let's go then."

Harry bit his lip as he watched Nick hurriedly get out the driver's side. He walked around the front of the car and quickly got to Harry's door to help him out like a proper gentleman. Harry smiled as he grabbed a hold of Nick's hand while letting him lead the way, blushing when Nick laced their fingers together and gave his hand a comforting squeeze.

The place wasn't at all like Harry expected. There was an open bar and a buffet of food off to the side of the dance floor and a bunch of people their age spread around the place. There was giant mirror placed on the back of the room and a smooth, wood flooring for dancing on the ground. Harry noticed some people from their school were there as well, most of them looking like they were on dates too, but what surprised him the most was seeing Niall standing in a circle with a bunch of older ladies.

"Niall?" Harry called out, laughing as he pulled Nick over to where Niall was standing.

"Hazza, wow!" Niall cheered.

He wrapped Harry in a big hug and squeezed him close to his chest before he was backing away with a giant smile.

"What are you doing here?" Harry then questioned, noticing that Niall didn't necessarily have a date with him considering he was hanging around a bunch of older women.

"I'm actually here with my Nan," Niall brightened up. He reached behind him nonchalantly until his hand made contact with a frail wrist who Harry assumed was Niall's nan. He then gently pulled her forward so she was standing beside Niall, and she looked between Harry and Nick with a welcoming smile.

"Oh, Hello," Niall's Nan greeted, introducing herself to Nick and Harry who did the same back. "Yes, Niall and I love to get our groove on here."

"That's so cute," Harry coo'd.

"What about you?" Niall then questioned as he gestured between Nick and Harry.

"I wanted to take him dancing," Nick was the one to admit, smirking down at Harry when Harry frowned up at him.

"Good luck," Niall amended, "This boy is a deer on ice."

"Be nice Niall," his Nan chastised, earning Niall a little slap to his arm.

Niall whined as he rubbed the area his Nan had slapped him in. She rolled her eyes in response and then was dragging Niall over to the dance floor when the instructor walked up towards the stereo.

It was only time for them to do the warm ups, not really a mandatory thing to do. Nick grabbed Harry's hand again and led him over towards the open bar where a couple of bottles of wine had already been opened. There were a few middle aged ladies lingering around with their glasses full of wine rather than participating in the warm ups while the more younger side of the crowd was already rushing to dance.

The warm up took a lot longer than Harry had anticipated because he didn't realize that he and Nick were already starting their third glass of wine and nearly devouring all of the pretzels. By the time they noticed this, they both looked at each with a loud laugh coming out before the instructor was playing some upbeat music. Samba music from what she had called out.

"Care to samba?" Nick asked when different couples began following the instructor's footsteps.

Harry giggled as he took Nicks hand and followed him out to the dance floor. He tried following the instructor's footwork, and then he simply tried letting Nick guide their moves with the grip Nick had on his hips, but already with three wine glasses in, Harry was stumbling over his feet. He continuously bumped into Nick's body or stepped on his feet, each time giggling like a maniac.

His head was swimming with the taste of the alcohol, and he could feel his skin flushing with the intoxication. Nick wasn't too far behind as well, but he had been able to manage a lot better than Harry. His steps were more controlled, although, he did stumble a lot more than he would have if he was fully sober.

"You're tipsy," Nick giggled when Harry decided to twirl himself in a circle.

"So are you," Harry argued back.

" _Eh_ , not as bad."

Harry rolled his eyes and continued to use Nick's hand to twirl under. He then felt Nick drag Harry's body back towards his before they were both chest to chest. Harry's breath hitched as he looked up, momentarily staring at Nick's lips before he was laughing again. He danced his way out of Nick's space and began guiding them all around the dance floor with a shake to his hips.

They ended up staying there for a couple of hours. After the samba, they had a couple more glasses of wine before it was the tango. Then they dribbled into some Hawaiian dance moves before ending the night in a conga line. Harry didn't realize he could have this much fun going to a dancing class with Nick, but he had a blast. And the amounts of wine he had throughout the time did help him embrace his dancing side a little more.

Harry realized he maybe did drink a little too much for a first date, and maybe so did Nick. Nothing was entirely wrong since they were enjoying their time, but Nick was very much like Harry when it came to having too much alcohol in their system - they were both very touchy, which meant they were constantly at each other's sides throughout the entire time. It was different and not something Harry was used to, but he did hold Nick's hand the entire time being there and even on the way back to his house.

Nick got out of the car once he pulled up Harry's driveway to walk Harry to the front porch of his house. He managed to keep their hands tangled all the way to the door before the two of them were standing face to face. Nick smiled dopily as he used his free hand to cup the side of Harry's face, causing Harry to blush. Harry realized that Nick was a little bit more confident with having alcohol in his system.

"I had a lot of fun," Harry admitted truthfully.

Nick smiled nervously at Harry and looked down at him curiously. Harry held his position and kept his eye contact with Nick until he realized Nick's eyes dropped down to his lips. And that's when Harry noticed his own eyes were going to look at Nick's lips as well.

Harry didn't know who made the first move, but suddenly, their lips were brushing up against one another's before Harry was closing the gap all the way, pressing in harder. Harry didn't know if it was the alcohol in his system or the heat that was unconsciously building up from all the dancing, but all he could think about was kissing Nick.

Even when Nick tried to pull back and maybe end the date, Harry let out a whine and pushed himself closer. He wrapped his arms around Nick's neck and held him there while he worked his mouth so easily against the other. That's when Nick let loose and finally relaxed into the kiss, holding on to Harry's hips as he started to lick his way into Harry's mouth.

Then it really was a major blur as Harry fumbled for the keys to his house. He managed to get the door unlocked and opened before he was yanking Nick inside with him. Thank goodness Harry's parents weren't home, because he continuously kissed Nick until they both landed on the couch together. Harry's hands were going straight towards Nick's jeans while Nick was pushing Harry's shirt up.

They didn't get much done other than kissing each other hard while rubbing their bodies together. The alcohol running through their system was the fuel that had them going until they were passing out on the couch together. Their sated minds and heavy, liquid-filled brains made it easy for them to slowly close their eyes to sleep off all the alcohol and kissing they had just done.

And so, maybe Harry did drink a little too much on their date. Whoops.

There was a knock on the front door a few hours later that had Harry grumbling like a mess. His head was already pounding, and his body felt heavy from the weight the wine had left on him. He noticed his shirt was off and tossed somewhere on the floor, so he reached down to cover his torso up. His boxers were still a sticky mess from his earlier make-out session with Nick, and even he was too tired at the moment to feel any ounce of embarrassment in that. Harry didn't bother to check himself in the mirror or to see who was at the door, he just opened it up right away to stop the knocking from continuing.

The bright light from the late afternoon had blinded Harry the minute the door exposed the outside world. Harry grumbled under his breath and quickly tried to rub his eyes free from the bright light. Once he regained his focus and was able to relatively see, he noticed it was Louis standing in front of him.

Not only was it Louis, but it was Louis with gifts. He had a vase of flowers in one hand and the other holding a box. He looked like the mess that Harry felt on the inside, almost like he hadn't gotten any sleep if the dark circles around his eyes were something to go by.

That was when Harry realized he probably looked equally as a mess, but in a completely different context than Louis. Harry's hair was crazy from Nick's fingers running through them, and his skin was slick in beads of sweats from their bodies being pressed so close together. His cheeks were also flushed red from the embarrassingly quick orgasm he had, and his lips bitten red from all the kissing.

That was also when Harry noticed he was in his boxers as well.

"L-Louis. What are you doing here?"

Harry suddenly had this guilt wash over him instantly in what made him feel like a cheater. He knew him and Louis were no longer together and Harry was wanting to move on, but something about the differences in their appearance made his stomach feel nauseous. Louis did look like shit. Like maybe he was heartbroken, while Harry looked like he just got fucked.

Well, more like he was kissed so hard in his drunk state that it was enough to push him over the edge. Again, embarrassing.

"Well, I've been feeling like shit lately, and I really wanted to talk to you," Louis said under his breath, clearly nervous for what he was about to say as he drew in a shaky breath. "And I wanted to say that I-"

"Harry?"

Harry's eyes widen right away as he heard Nick's voice behind him. Louis looked equally as shocked as his eyes shifted from Harry over to Nick, who was walking towards Harry. Louis' face then dropped, and his eyes harden immediately when Nick came into view with only his jeans on his body. Harry opened his mouth to say something, but all he did was gasp. He looked in between Nick and Louis before his eyes were landing on Louis' hurt expression. Louis must have put two and two together quickly just from the state of their clothes and maybe the way they looked, but either way, his emotion quickly went from hurt to angry.

"L-Louis-"

"Fucking slut," Louis muttered to himself, more under his breath as he began shaking his head in disbelief.

Louis looked back at Harry and tossed the flowers right at him. He even chucked the box he had gifted for Harry across the porch before he was turning to head down the steps. Harry's eyes widen right away as the echoing word of what Louis just called him continuously rang through his head. He immediately stepped out of the house and followed Louis outside.

"Hold up," Harry yelled, "Don't fucking call me that."

Louis stopped walking and turned around to face Harry, a small distance between both of them which was probably very much needed. "It's been a week Harry, and you're already sleeping with someone else?"

"I was tipsy, Louis," Harry rolled his eyes. "Nothing even really happened."

"Oh, really? Nothing even happened?" Louis mocked as he stepped closer to Harry, not even giving him the chance to finish. "Because if I remember correctly, it was only a few hours after you and Reid broke up before you were sleeping with two other people."

Harry's eyes harden as he went to push Louis back from him. He didn't really care that Nick was standing in the doorway to his house watching them or that they were causing a major scene in the front yard. If this was the talk that they needed to have, then so be it. Location be damned.

"What I do does not concern you, okay? Last time I remember, I dumped your ass," Harry then reminded, pressing his hand against Louis' chest and pushing him back again. "You want to talk about _slut_? How many fucking people have you slept with, Louis? The only reason why you can't last in a real adult relationship is because you're too immature to keep your dick to one person."

"I haven't even slept with anyone since I've been with you," Louis yelled out.

Harry swallowed while he held Louis' gaze, not really knowing what to do with that confession. If anything, it kind of stumped him and rendered him speechless. But, he could see the firing burning in Louis' eyes showing that he meant every word he said, so he wasn't lying when he made that confession.

All this time Harry had wondered if Louis was going back and forth between him and Eleanor, but now knowing that Harry really was only his at the time just made this more difficult.

"Neither have I," Harry breathed out, blinking when he felt tears in his eyes. Stupid post drunk state he was in.

"Really, you didn't fuck Nick?"

"No we didn't fuck, Louis," Harry growled, ignoring the fact that Nick was still right there while they were blatantly talking about him. "We made out and we were drunk, okay? But that's it, we're not together Louis, so you can't stand here and act like I did something wrong when I havent. I'm fucking single now."

It was a long moment while the two of them continued to stand there face to face. Their glares at each other were anything but kind, mostly filled with hatred and anger. But the longer Harry stared at Louis, the more angry he was getting for the way Louis reacted to this whole thing. Louis didn't have the right to be angry. He didn't have the right to call Harry a slut when they both knew very well that Louis had gotten around with a lot more people than Harry had. Louis had no right to be jealous.

So seeing Louis there with a tensed jaw and hands clenched in a fist made Harry want to explode, but, he took a breath and calmed down, ending the war before the two of them before anything further happened.

"You know what?" Harry sighed, swallowing down the lump, feeling the tears pool in the corner of his eyes. "You had your chance with me. I waited for you and forgave you for so many things, but you blew it. You can't get mad at me for moving on when you never wanted to commit to me fully. You are _not_ my boyfriend, and you made sure I knew that multiple times."

It was silent again when Louis finally started to calm himself down. Harry didn't know what exactly he was expecting from Louis after he finished, but maybe silence wasn't it. Because that's all Louis ever did when it came to stuff about the two of them. He remained silent.

Harry let out a bitter laugh and turned around to walk up his porch. He reached the front door and turned to see Louis still standing there staring at him with that same hurt expression. "You can go now," Harry snapped before he was walking inside and closing the door behind him.

"I'm sorry," Nick mumbled once the two of them were inside the vicinity of Harry's home.

"What?" Harry questioned, following Nick over to the couch and sitting down on the edge.

"We were both drunk, and we shouldn't have let the kiss get like that."

Harry nodded his head and reached for the pillow next to him. He squeezed it tight to his chest and managed to close his eyes to prevent any of those tears from falling down his face.

"I thought I could use the distraction," he whispered, like it was a secret.

"I'm guessing I was the distraction?"

Harry opened his eyes slowly and nodded his head, frowning as he cuddled the pillow closer to him. "I fucking suck. I'm so sorry."

"You love him don't you?" Nick questioned right away, a soft smile playing his lips as he gently placed his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Yeah, I do," Harry breathed out. "That fucking sucks too."

Nick pursed his lips for a moment before he was sighing. "Let's show him what he's missing," he then suggested. "I obviously won't be able to win you over, but I'm willing to help you get the Louis that you want."

Harry looked up from the pillow and turned his head towards Nick. He looked at him for a second to contemplate whether he was crazy or not, but when Nick didn't back down from his idea, Harry realized he was being serious.

"Why?"

"If two people are meant to be together, then why not help them out?" Nick shrugged his shoulders. "Louis is a good guy. He just needs a right kick in the ass for him to realize it."

Harry snorted at his comment and felt himself easing up. He dropped the pillow off to the side and angled his body more towards Nick, already growing more fascinated in this idea. "You'll help me? How?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders cluelessly, "No idea, honestly. Obviously, you being with me makes him jealous, so there is a start."

"Okay," Harry agreed. "I think this could work. Make him feel like I really am done with him hoping it'll fix him up a bit. What's there to lose?"

"Project fix Louis is a go."


	10. Chapter 10

"You think our friendship is going to be weird now?" Harry asked through the reflection of the mirror, pursing his lips to the side thoughtfully.

Liam poked his head over Harry's shoulder from where he was standing behind the boy. His fingers that were stretching out Harry's bow tie froze as he looked up to meet Harry's eyes in the mirror, offering a weak shrug before he continued fixing the knot. 

"Nick is mature," was his answer, pulling the ends on the bow one more time before he was patting Harry on the shoulder.

"Well, you guys did share an orgasm together," Niall blurted from where he was walking out the bathroom, giving Harry a wink whenever the latter looked up at him with a scowl.

The lads had ended up gathering at Harry's house to get ready for the dance, which was a shock in itself that it had approached so quickly. Since Harry had the biggest space and no siblings to get in the way, they sought his home to be the best place for them to come together. Nick was going to show up around the same time as the limo, which gave Harry perfect amount of time to brace himself for what the night was going to bring.

None of the lads had seen what suits they decided to wear, so it was a surprise when they all walked into Harry's bedroom to showoff what they chose. Harry didn't know what Nick was wearing either, but he figured their outfits would coordinate since they were going to the dance together. It was what Zayn and Liam did as well. They matched their suits together to show off that they were each other's dates. It was both a cute and an annoying thing for Harry to accept because he wished his matching partner was Louis, but considering him and Louis were not on speaking terms, he was happy enough for Liam and Zayn to enjoy their moment together. 

Liam's suit was light gray, a checkered purple undershirt with a matching purple tie to bring the whole outfit together. His coat pocket had a white flower that paired with his white loafers, but the best part about the whole thing was how well it went with Zayn's. Zayn's suit was the complete opposite of Liams. His suit color was purple, the same color as Liam's undershirt and tie. Zayn's undershirt was a light gray that matched Liam's suit color, and the two of them really did look amazing whenever they stood side by side.   

Niall's suit was army green, a bold choice he wanted to go with since he didn't have a date to worry about matching with. However, the green blended well with Niall's tan that he had been working on, and Zayn had teased him earlier that if he was any paler, then the suit color would straight up look like shit. 

Harry's suit was baby blue, a color he had been wanting for a while. He would like to tell himself that there was no true reasoning behind him getting a suit color like this, but the minute he saw it, his mind couldn't help but think of Louis' eyes. He started thinking of all the different ways his suit would complement Louis if he stood next to him, which probably was not something Harry should be thinking about when he already had a date to the dance, but he was in love, so his mind always drew back to Louis. 

"It wasn't like that," Harry reminded with a whine.

After one last glance in the mirror, Harry finally stepped away to walk towards his bed. He passed Niall on his way, and he ended up playfully punching Niall's side before he was sitting down on the edge of the bed. Since he was finished getting ready, he had to wait around until everyone else was done and for their ride to get there.  

They only got a few more minutes of finishing up their outfits before Anne was calling them down. Which meant that Nick and the limo were there. Which also meant Harry's nerves went into overdrive coming to the conclusion that he was _really_ about to go to the dance - that he was  _really_ about to see Louis dressed in a suit. Which also meant that Harry started to second guess his outfit, worrying that what he chose wouldn't catch Louis' attention. 

Harry was so focused on his worrying that he didn't even notice Liam and Niall already leaving the room. He didn't even remember standing up from the bed, but when his eyes focused in on where they were staring at, he noticed he was looking at himself in the mirror, eyeballing his outfit again. It was only then when Zayn came up behind him and patted him on the back that Harry gave a reaction, flinching at the touch and shifting his eyes to meet Zayn's. 

"You look fine," Zayn eased. "He's going to love your outfit."

Harry snorted when Zayn gave him a secretive wink, both knowing who Zayn was implying to. It was obvious that Harry was worried about what Louis would think, considering Harry had gotten his suit color based off Louis' eyes. It was comforting to know that Zayn already knew without Harry having to say anything because Harry really didn't think he could stand there an admit he was still thinking about Louis. But Zayn wasn't being judgemental at all, if anything, he was being supportive, giving Harry a comforting smile that made the muscles in his shoulders relax. 

"I really hope so," Harry breathed in return.

Zayn and Harry shared one more look at one another before Zayn was patting Harry on the back and taking the lead out the room. Harry followed behind Zayn as the two of them descended down the steps, but out halfway down, Harry realized his mother was standing at the bottom with her camera raised in the air. She was smiling widely as she started snapping pictures of the two of them making their entrance down the steps, causing Harry to giggle under his breath.

By the time the two of them made it down, Liam had dragged Zayn over to him and Harry walked to where Nick was standing off to the side. Nick was blatantly staring at Harry whenever he approached him, causing Harry to blush under the attention. The minute Harry stopped in front of Nick, Nick let out a breath of fresh air, lips curving up in a fond smile. 

"Beautiful," Nick mumbled on an instant, widening his eyes when he realized what slipped out. He let out a nervous laugh to cover it up, scratching at the back of his head before pulling something out his coat pocket to change the subject from what he just said. "So, I got you something." 

 Harry's eyes followed where Nick pulled out a white rose pin from his pocket. The color matched exactly to what Nick was wearing, which was ideally supposed to coordinate to Harry's outfit. Harry's undershirt was white as well, going with the white suit that was worn on Nick's body. Nick's undershirt was the same baby blue of Harry's suit, so Harry felt himself smiling at the fact the two of them did manage to get the matching outfits right. 

So technically, Harry did get what he wanted with a date who coordinated their outfit with his, but still, he hated how he was still wishing that Louis would be doing that with him. He had this annoying nagging feeling in the back of his mind that Louis and Eleanor would show up with coordinating outfits, but all those thoughts dissipated in his mind when Nick walked up to him and pinned the flower to his jacket, making Harry smile and focus on him. 

"Thank you, Nick."

Their moment was interrupted when Anne barged between the two of them to drag them over where the other lads were standing by the mantle. She had them all pose together to take a group photo, reminding each of them that she promised their mother's to take pictures of them before they left for the dance. So they spent a half hour posing for Anne, either with their date or by themselves. Really, if it wasn't for Harry trying to drag them all to the limo, then Anne would've continued to take pictures of them, so in all honesty, Harry did save them.

The five of them piled into the limo once they were free from Anne's camera. Liam and Zayn immediately cuddled up on the smallest row towards the back so they could whisper in each other's ear and take selfies throughout the whole ride. Niall sat on the row across from Nick and Harry, all three of them having more space to spread out some. Except, as the ride carried on, Harry couldn't help his eyes from traveling to where Liam and Zayn were off in their own little world.

Harry couldn't lie, he was a bit envious watching the two of them steal kisses with one another and fond over the pictures they took. Harry hated how all throughout this night he compared everything to him and Louis, basically wanting to do all the couple things with him. He hated how he was supposed to be going to the dance with Nick, but in the back of his mind, he really wished he was with Louis. 

After a good half hour drive into downtown Manchester, their limo pulled up to  _La Grange._ There were a bunch of students still outside either hanging around or about to head inside the hotel, so they knew they weren't too late. There were even other limos and cars dropping off others as well, which meant they showed up at a decent time. 

Harry and Nick were the last ones to get out the limo, following behind the others as hey stepped out. However, when Harry stood on the sidewalk, he felt the need to suddenly grab on to Nick's hand. He didn't know exactly what would go down tonight between him and Louis, but the most Harry could bet on at the moment was that he had Nick by his side, and he really needed that comfort to anchor on to before walking into chaos.

Nick seemed to understand this silent plea from Harry because he looked over at Harry with a warm smile, giving his hand a squeeze as if to remind Harry that he was there for him. Which was the perfect timing too because the second the two of them turned to walk inside, Harry immediately caught sight of Louis with his group. Harry's heart started beating faster while his feet stopped moving, freezing in his spot and also making Nick stop as well since their hands were together. 

It was the first time Harry had ever seen Louis in a suit, so perfectly tailored to his body that showed off every definite curve of his waist. He looked immaculate with the way his hair was pushed back in gel, really drawing eyes to the sharp trace of his cheekbones. His suit was charcoal gray, making his tan skin look tanner and his blue eyes even brighter. He was really captivating with the way he presented himself already, but adding a suit to the mixture just made it even harder for Harry to resist.

Except, the bubble was bursted when Eleanor walked right up to Louis, her long, beautiful dress being a slap in the face to Harry. She was even more breathtaking in her two piece outfit, showing off a sliver of her belly that showed off how slim she was. It was then when Harry realized how stupid he was for ever thinking Louis would have eyes on him tonight when he had Eleanor under his arm. She was everything perfect Louis could ever want, and Louis didn't have to hide to be with her. She was gorgeous, and the worst part of it all was that she showed up to the dance with Louis, in matching outfits, just like every other couple that showed up. 

Harry suddenly felt nauseous when he saw Eleanor reach for Louis' hand, really not wanting to watch the fact that Eleanor didn't have to hide anything with him. It stung a little bit to know that Louis was acting free with her, that Eleanor didn't have any restrictions when it came to acting like the girlfriend. Harry didn't really understand the point of his plan anymore if he was the one who ended up jealous because, at this rate, he couldn't even look their way without feeling the need to cry. 

Except, there was hope. Just the smallest amount of hope when Nick stepped in close to him. His gentle finger went under Harry's chin to lift his head, subtly turning his eyes to the side to indicate what he was saying was referring to Louis. 

"He's looking," Nick whispered under his breath, biting his lip when Harry wrapped his arms around his neck. "What do you want to do?"

Harry blinked twice before he started to lean in. "Just kiss me."

Nick held his head for a moment to read Harry's features, making sure he was really okay with it before he was leaning in too. However, instead of Nick's lips making contact with Harry's, he felt them go right off to the side, settling there for a few seconds before Nick was pulling back with a small smile. When Harry opened his eyes, he frowned at Nick. 

"Why'd didn't you kiss me?" Harry asked, nearly sounding offended, but moreso shocked.

Nick shrugged his shoulders, a glint to his eyes as he re-grabbed Harry's hand, "I'm not going to force you to actually kiss me when I know you want it to be someone else. Plus, our kisses have got us in enough trouble already."

Harry rolled his eyes, letting out a small snort as he playfully pushed Nick's shoulders. He then felt his body start to ease up when Nick began leading the way towards the entrance to the hotel. Harry noticed that Louis and his group were no longer standing at the front, so he was able to breathe a little better walking inside without having to run into them again.

By the time they made it to the ballroom the dance was being held at, a bunch of people were already on the dance floor, and three of those being Niall, Liam, and Zayn. Harry laughed right away as he began dragging Nick to where his friends were, not even caring that he was probably one of the worst dancers on the floor. Harry was ready to enjoy himself and dance as ridiculous as he could, and if he could make Nick look just as ridiculous as him, then he really had no point in complaining.  

Which, as these up-beat songs continued to play, Harry felt himself loosening up more and more. He may have had no rhythm and probably looked silly shaking his hips, but it was enough to make his friends laugh and mimic what he was doing. And even while Harry was on the dance floor, he barely caught sight of Louis, which actually was a positive considering Harry was more focused on having fun than seeking him out. But, despite Harry trying to not look Louis' way, he knew where Louis was. He could feel the burning gaze of his eyes looking straight at where he and Nick were dancing. So as much as Harry tried to ignore it, he could still sense Louis was watching. 

They got a few more dance songs in until a slower one came on, giving the couples an opportunity to slow dance. The song was called  _Everything_ by Michael Buble, one that Harry has always dreamed of dancing too. He didn't really expect Nick and him to slow dance to any of the songs tonight, so he really wasn't expecting Nick to already be holding a hand out for him. 

Harry smiled shyly as he took the hand offered, linking their fingers together and following Nick to the middle of the dance floor. Harry was spun as the two of them were walking out, giggling like a fool when his body was being drawn back against Nick's. Then they set in an easy pattern, following along with the other couples by having one arm around each other while the other was held off to the side. 

They turned in circles and kept their feet in line with everyone else, passing Zayn and Liam who were cuddled in each other's arm. They managed to get about halfway around the dance floor before Nick was smiling grimly. 

"If looks could kill, I'd be dead," Nick admitted under his breath, not sounding at all bothered as he let out a breathy laugh.

Harry let out a sigh as his eyes caught sight of where Louis was stood off to the side with Eleanor nagging him to dance. It was apparent Louis was more focused on the way Nick and Harry were so close with their bodies, his eyes staring straight at Nick and Harry to be the full proof they needed, however, Louis had enough focus to completely disregard Eleanor's request and refuse to dance with her. 

Harry rolled his eyes at their interaction and instead move closer to Nick's body. He removed his hand from the latter and opted to wrap his arms around Nick's neck. He ended up laying his head down on Nick's shoulder to no longer have sight of Louis, just letting himself feel comfortable in Nick's arms and choosing to enjoy his slow dance to one of his favorite songs instead of worrying about what Louis was doing. 

"He'll get over it," Harry settled with, smiling softly when Nick's arms wrapped around his waist.

"That was quick," Nick teased, "I thought we were having fun making him jealous?"

Harry shrugged his shoulder the best he could, letting out another defeated sigh as he squeezed Nick closer to his body. "I feel like an idiot trying to make Louis want me, he should just want me without any problems. If I have to force it on him, then obviously I'm not what he wants."

The two of them stopped dancing when the song had ended, which also meant that Harry wasn't feeling in the mood to dance to the next slow song that came on. It really was heart wrenching though because the next one was Harry's all time favorite song,  _From This Moment On_ by Shania Twain. It was one of those songs that Harry had sworn would be played at his wedding, so he really didn't feel right dancing to it with Nick nor dancing to it when he felt so poorly about the night. 

So, with a long, drawn out sigh, Harry reached for Nick's hand and followed as Nick guided them off the dance floor. However, they got caught in the mass of people that were walking both towards the buffet of food and towards the restrooms, plus there were those who were entering and exiting the dance floor, so they were getting tangled up with other bodies. Nick and Harry's hands were still intact, although, with the cluster of people moving around them, Nick had turned his head to make sure that Harry was still fine. Except, with his head turned, Nick lost footing of his step, which also meant he didn't exactly see where he was going. 

Nick ended up bumping into Louis on accident, having just turned his head forward when it happened. And well, Louis had also been stepping around someone at the same time, so there really was no purposeful intent behind Nick and Louis bumping into each other. However, with the flame that's been growing under Louis' foot the entire night, this seemed to had been the final match to make him explode.

Louis' eyes briefly looked down to see where Nick and Harry's hands were connected before he reacted without much thought. His first instinct in response to being bumped into was to push the person back and out of his way. Nick had stumbled on his feet and nearly bumped into Harry, but he had managed to stand upright on his feet before Louis was walking up to him again.

"Come on man," Nick sighed, raising his free hand out in front of him defensively. He looked like he didn't want to deal with this right now, as if the last thing he wanted to do was to genuinely be in the middle of Louis and Harry's fight. His job was only to stand by Harry to make Louis jealous, but he never intended for things to get physical, and he still never planned for it to be like that too. 

"No you come on _man,_ " Louis repeated, soon shifting his eyes over towards Harry with a deeper frown. "How can you seriously break up with me one week and then fuck off with someone else the next?

"It's none of your business what I do," Harry snapped back, stepping next to Nick with a frown of his own. 

Louis stood his ground and managed to hold eye contact with Harry for a few seconds before his demeanor broke and he was letting out a big breath of air. He shifted his focus back to Nick and nearly growled "You better watch yourself," before he was jabbing his finger in Nick's chest and walking past the two of them. 

Harry swallowed as he turned his body to watch Louis head out the ballroom doors, forgoing the group of friends he arrived with and choosing to leave the place instead. Harry could feel Nick shift from beside him and their hands losing contact from each other. He didn't really know what he should do right now - if he should continue the rest of the night with Nick or chase after Louis, but the second Louis' body disappeared past the doors, Harry came to a decision almost immediately.  

"I'm sorry," Harry sighed, turning back to Nick with a pout. He could already see the look on Nick's face that showed he understood, and no part of him was going to be holding Harry back. Nick even offered Harry a weak smile and a quick pat on the back before Harry started to slowly make his way towards the doors. "I promise I'll be right back."

With a final nod of approval from Nick, Harry turned his body and quickly chased off in the direction Louis had just stormed out of. He was really hoping Louis hadn't left the building or found a cab to take him home yet, but all his worries were gone when he walked out into the lobby to see Louis pacing around the sitting area. Harry rolled his eyes when he caught sight of Louis' body, first taking in a big breath himself before he was storming up to Louis.

When Harry got in touching distance, he reached for Louis' arm and yanked his body so that they could face each other. "What the hell is your problem?" Harry nearly yelled, setting his lips in a fine line. 

"You. You are my problem," Louis cried out frustrated, pushing Harry back gently so there was space between the both of them. Harry had stumbled over his feet and knocked his knees against the couch, but he managed to stand on both of his feet without falling over. When his balance was regained, he let out a huff and crossed his arms over his chest, watching as Louis began anxiously pacing in his spot again.

"This is so fucked up," Louis laughed bitterly, no trace of humor shown on his face. "You can't just be _mine_ and then be _his_ within the span of a week, Harry. And _Nick_ of all people?"

"Louis, we were never officially together," Harry reminded coldly, letting out another big puff of air when Louis rolled his eyes at the comment. "You wanted to keep us a secret, remember? You didn't show me that you wanted to be with me."

"Harry, I've done everything I could, okay?" Louis then whined, his pacing coming to a halt as he stood in front of Harry, reaching for his shoulders desperately just to have something to grab on to. "I took you out on dates-"

"We went on one date, and that was on Valentine's Day," Harry corrected, snarling his nose as he shimmied his shoulders out from under Louis' touch. 

"I never truly laid a hand on you. I stopped trying to turn everything into sex. I gave you gifts. I bought you flowers so many times. I spent my birthday with you. We kissed. I held your hand all the time. We started having sleepovers - the cuddling. I got you the promise ring. What more did you want?"

Harry let out a bitter laugh, dropping his arms by his side and turning in a circle, in complete shock at how oblivious Louis was to their whole situation. He could even tell by the look on Louis' face that he genuinely thought that he was providing the best parts of himself in this relationship with Harry, and it was even more infuriating that Louis couldn't realize all the wrongs between them. 

"You were ashamed of being with me Louis," Harry reminded, his voicing giving away how truly hurt he was by cracking halfway through the sentence. "And you never felt the same about me as I did for you."

"Says who?" Louis frowned, crossing his arms over his chest, testing Harry.

"Says your actions."

There was a brief pause where the two of them stood there in silence, not making any move other than to blink or to breathe. They were standing nearly toe to toe at the point, breathing in each other's air and bodies tensed with anger. It only took a few more seconds before Louis was letting out a deep breath and stepping back from Harry. He gave one final look to where Harry was standing, who was looking back at Louis with a confused expression since he had pulled himself back, but then an idea had sprung into Louis' head because almost immediately Louis turned around and hopped up on the coffee table that was right behind his body.  

Harry's eyes widen as he looked up at Louis, pursing his lips together and shaking his head at how ridiculous Louis was being. Louis, on the other hand, ignored Harry's look and actually turned to face him. His eyes started to scan the entire lobby and realized there really wasn't a lot of people there besides some students who were walking around, but once Louis had surveyed the area, he looked back down at Harry. 

"You want my actions to show you how I feel, Harry?" Louis snapped, reaching his arms out to the side to make more of a scene than he already was. "Will that finally make you happy?" 

Harry crossed his arms over his chest again and blinked up at Louis. Harry didn't understand what point Louis was trying to make or why he was starting to get louder. If anything, he felt like a fool standing on the floor with Louis on the coffee table. It was a bigger scene they were making than Harry had wanted, and he now knew he had eyes on the two of them for how disruptive they were being. 

"Everyone, I'm in fucking love with Harry Styles," Louis then yelled out for everyone in the lobby to hear, causing Harry's eyes to widen and his heart to beat faster. "Did everyone in this fucking lobby hear that? Because I do love him." Louis then looked down at Harry with a frown. "Harry, do you hear that? I love you. I'm in fucking love with you, you stubborn asshole."

"That doesn't solve anything," Harry breathed out, swallowing down the lump he felt growing in his throat.

Harry really tried to ignore the way his heart skipped a beat at finally hearing those three words he's been dying for Louis to say. He knew he was preening, his cheeks giving away with a blush that was starting to form, but everything between him and Louis was so broken right now that he really couldn't dwell on the fact that Louis said he loved him.

So much needed to be fixed between the two of them before anything could really happen. And besides, Louis still didn't want people to know everything, despite him announcing his love for Harry to the lobby, nothing really had changed. Harry didn't exactly know what any of it meant or if things were about to change with Louis, so he really tried not to let his hopes get up. 

"What more do you want from me?" Louis cried as he stepped off the table, tossing his head to the side with a whine. "I haven't been with anyone else since I've been with you. I wasn't lying about that. And all this time you've been waiting for me to tell you that I loved you first, but why couldn't you have told _me_ first? Why does it always have to be on me?"

"Because being with you is frustrating Louis," Harry yelled back, reaching up to his scalp and pull his hair in frustration.

His voice gave him away by cracking in the middle of the sentence, but then his eyes betrayed him right away when they began clouding with tears. Harry huffed and quickly wiped them away with the sleeve of his suit jacket, rolling his eyes at himself for getting so emotional. 

"I just want to be with you, Louis. Every part of you," Harry then admitted more in a softer tone. "I want to hold your hand whenever I want and not be scared to kiss you. I don't want to be kept a secret or be a second option to you. I want to be  _the_ option, but all you care about right now is how people in this school see you. Your popularity and incisive need to be around girls is what's destroying everything between us. You're so careless when it comes to Eleanor. You don't even think twice about holding her hand or kissing her."

"You don't know shit," Louis grumbled, his anger shifting a little as he stepped closer to Harry. "None of this has to even do with you. None of this even has to do with my friends or being popular. I told you to just _trust me_ , but you gave up me."

"You gave me no reason to trust you."

Louis swallowed as he slumped his shoulders. His tensed stance that he was in was soon dissipated when he was stepping back from Harry's space. Harry frowned as he watched Louis' entire demeanor completely shift from looking angry to looking defeated in a matter of seconds. Louis didn't say anything at first, simply staring down at his shoes before he gained enough courage to look Harry in the eye. 

"Its because of my mum, again something you wouldn't understand," he admitted under his breath.

Harry widen his eyes right away, not expecting that answer to come from Louis. Not only that, but Harry was once again hit with the reality of what Louis had to deal with every day, and he often forgot that Louis really did have a lot going on outside of school. Louis just liked to hold himself as a strong person, like nothing was ever wrong with him, but Harry knew deep down Louis' heart was bruising for his mother to heal. 

Louis was working part-time at the mall outside of playing football and going to school. Which meant his hours were already dragged on by hopping from one thing to the next. And then Louis also had younger siblings, making him the oldest and most responsible, the one to care for them while their mother was in the hospital. 

It hit Harry hard that all Louis really wanted was for him to stay by his side - to trust Louis that he  _could_ and  _would_ get through this tough time with Harry right next to him, and that once it was over, once all the pain was gone, that Louis would finally be able to be with Harry in the way he had always wanted to be. 

Harry hated himself a little more after coming to the realization of this all, knowing very well he often pushed it to the back of his mind to make his own judgment of things seem valid. Harry had been so focused on himself and his own feelings that he didn't stop to consider Louis' feelings behind everything. He simply forgot to realize that Louis was doing things in the protection of his name to his own mother because he couldn't trust what others would do. 

But Louis trusted Harry. Louis confined in Harry through one of the hardest times in his life, and Harry failed him. Harry failed him on so many occasions because he was more worried about himself. He wasn't looking at the bigger picture of his relationship with Louis like Louis had been all along, and now, Harry really wished he did put his trust in Louis like Louis did to him. 

"Harry, she has fucking leukemia, and I don't know if she's going to live or not. I have no idea when she can finally come home because she's been in the hospital for the past month going through chemo," Louis then admitted, tears in his eyes, "She doesn't know I'm gay. She doesn't know I had a boyfriend - or whatever the hell we were, and the last thing I want her to do was to find out from somebody else and be disappointed in me. If she didn't make it, and she found out I was gay from someone else and hated me for it, I would never forgive myself."

Harry's breathing was stopping short in his throat as he stood there feeling completely like a fool. He was speechless. He didn't even know what he could say right now without making him sound like a further jackass.

Because here Louis was, walls broken down and layers peeled back, showing a different side of himself to Harry that had been masked. Louis was finally letting himself be vulnerable in front of Harry and telling Harry things that he had never really told other people. Harry could see Louis was struggling with continuing, but he was doing it. He was pushing through and finding the strength to keep going, all just for the sake of Harry.  

"My mum is on the board for the school, and she's one of the coordinators for our football program so everyone knows who she is. I couldn't take the risk of people at school finding out about us and relaying that back to her - or even giving her a hard time because of it." Louis paused as he tried catching his breath. His heart was beating so fast at the moment, it almost felt like it was about to pop out his chest. And it didn't really help that Harry was just standing there completely silent, but if anything, it was pressuring Louis to keep talking.  

"I don't want her to go through the backlash of me being gay or her hating me because I am. I'm just - I'm waiting for when she is healthier so I can tell her everything, but I'm so fucking scared right now that I may not ever get the chance to, Harry."

It grew silent between the pair of them while Harry remained speechless and in complete shock. He had so many things he wanted to say at the moment and lots of things to apologize for, but his words were dried out somewhere in his throat. He didn't think no right word could fix this damage thats been done.

Harry had been so worried about himself and his own feelings that he never stopped to consider Louis. Even their friends had warned Harry, saying that he was a good distraction for Louis away from what was happening at home. Louis turned to him when he needed to get away from the pain or to have a quick laugh to stop him from frowning so much. He chose Harry to go to, but Harry gave up on him. 

"I do love you, Harry," Louis reminded again, causing Harry's breath to hitch. "And I'd give anything to hurt all the people who hurt you, but I just can't. I can't get into that kind of trouble right now and having my mom worry about it. I also can't do anything bad to Stan because he'll turn it back on me and do whatever he can to make my life an even bigger hell hole. He would out me to my mother in the biggest way and make up some shit to turn me into the bad guy. " Louis let out another big breath, "But, I'm sorry. My mum is kind of my number one priority right now. If you can't understand that then..."

Louis trailed the end of his sentence and this time made it known he was waiting for Harry to say something. He stood there for a couple of minutes, shifting his weight between each foot before the defeated look on his face washed over, and he was truly giving up. 

Louis nodded his head more to himself as if he got the answer he needed from Harry. He gave one last look at the boy and then walked off to leave Harry in the lobby all by himself, just fucking standing there like a damn bump in the road.

 

//

 

If Harry thought what happened at the dance was eventful, then he really wasn't prepared for what came the week after.

For starters, Louis had barely made his appearance throughout the week at school. On Monday, he apparently skipped half the day before making it in time for football practice after school. On Tuesday, he had the excuse of skipping first class since there was a pep rally, and he chose to spend his lunch in the Coach's office watching film. They had a home game later that night he wanted to prepare for, so Harry didn't see him at all that day as well.

It was the same for Wednesday and Thursday. Louis was there for half a day on Wednesday, which was another time he had missed music, and then Thursday he wasn't there at all until football practice after school. North Bridge had another game on Friday, and Harry was curious to know if he would be seeing Louis that day, or if Louis was going to use the morning pep rally as an excuse to miss their music class again.

Harry had sent Louis a couple of messages during the week to check in on him, considering he hasn't heard from Louis since the night of the dance. He was trying to take initiative in fixing things between the pair. Since the cat was out of the bag that Louis was _in fact in love with him_ , Harry felt like a sudden weight was lifted off his shoulders. However, his attempts didn't get anywhere, and he was simply ignored.

And it sucked because Harry was starting to believe that maybe Louis was purposefully ignoring him. Harry didn't really know if Louis was mad or not about what happened at the dance, but on many occasions when Harry started to think like this, he had to stop himself from trying to pit Louis as the bad guy. Harry had to actually consider that maybe something was actually going on in Louis' life that was preventing him from being around his phone and from coming to school. It could be Louis' mother or it could be his younger sisters, but Harry had to weigh his options before he started blaming Louis for ignoring him with no purpose.

But then that was nagging in the back of Harry's mind as well. The more his messages got ignored and the more he didn't see Louis at school, the more Harry worried about Louis' mother. He was really hoping Louis had a valid and positive reason as to why he hadn't been around.

Except, not only had Harry been dealing with Louis' absence, but he was also dealing with the backlash of Louis' confession to him. Apparently, the students who were in the lobby during Louis' spiel had told other people that he confessed his love for Harry. This had suddenly become the hot gossip all around school and one of the main things everyone had been talking about.

There were so many mixed reactions and people whispering different things that Harry had caught on to, and in all honesty, Harry had no idea how to handle it. He didn't know what to say, what to do, or how to react when people started to make comments about his and Louis' relationship. Of course, knowing what was going on with Louis, Harry would gladly be responsible for handling everything that came after the confession. He didn't want to have Louis worry about it when it had been something he was concerned about for months, but at times, when the words were getting a little harsher about Harry, Harry had really wished Louis was by his side to help him.

Because the worst was how everyone was blaming Harry for forcing Louis to like him. They accused Harry of making Louis gay for his own personal vendetta, which was to apparently take down North Bridge's football captain to give West Point an advantage for the title this year. It was absurd thinking, but Harry didn't like how people were making him out to be the bad guy, not that there was any bad guy at all.

The first person to actually approach Harry about the whole situation was Eleanor. The minute Harry walked on to the school grounds on Monday, Eleanor was right in his face screaming at him. She was the main one who accused Harry of everything. She blamed him for trying to tarnish Louis' reputation and for stealing Louis away from her. It was quite ridiculous having to listen to her, but she did manage to slap Harry across the face in front of half the school, so she did get away with that.

No one else really bothered Harry about it. The lads and Taylor already knew he was gay, and the lads especially knew about his situation with Louis. Taylor was surprised about who the person was, but she didn't really care nonetheless. If anything, she had a good laugh with Harry knowing that she was one of the first ones to catch the two of them going off to have sex, so at least she was breath of fresh air for Harry.

The worst was Stan, and it wasn't like he actually did anything, which was what was making Harry go mad. Stan was silent and not in Harry's way. He wasn't actively looking for Harry in the hallways or trying to find any excuse to mess with him, so Harry had no idea what was going on with him. But Harry knew something would come from this, especially with the gossip of Harry trying to take down North Bridge's football team, it was only a matter of minutes before Stan would attack.

Harry was making his way past the pep rally to get to music class without any disturbance. He didn't want to push his luck by hanging around an area filled with football players and cheerleaders, so he figured his best place was to get to the classroom. He had managed to make it to the door, ready to open it when he suddenly felt someone grabbing his arm.

Harry's heart starting beating faster in fear as his body turned to the person who grabbed him. He immediately let out a relieved breath when he realized it was Nick, trying his best to calm his heart down by taking in steady breaths.

"Have you guys talked?" Nick questioned, releasing Harry's arm and stepping back so the two of them can get out the way of the door.

Harry let out a sigh, twisting his lips to the side as he shook his head no. "I mean, he may not be ready to talk," Harry reasoned with, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm more worried about something else with him right now, and I just hope he's okay."

There was a brief pause between the both of them before Nick leaned a little closer to Harry, whispering under his breath, "So it's true?"

Harry nervously swallowed as he looked down at his shoes. He knew Nick was dreading the answer that was about to come, but Nick also knew what was at stake for helping Harry. But not only that, Harry himself still hasn't even had time to process the fact that Louis finally told him what he had always wanted to hear. And it could've been for the fact that he had not seen Louis since the dance, so Harry didn't exactly know what to feel or how to react.

"Yeah, it's true," Harry sighed.

"I'm happy for you," Nick then smiled truthfully, pulling Harry into a friendly hug. "I know it was a long road in getting what you wanted, and I know you love him, too. I do hope everything works out between both of you."

"Me too," Harry faintly smiled, pushing his hair behind his ear whenever he pulled back from the hug. "There's still a lot for us to figure out, but I think I understand him a lot more now. I just need to trust him."

"That's good. Just don't let him push you around, okay? He may have stuff going on, but nonetheless, he should still treat you right."

Harry's lips curved up thankfully, and he pulled Nick back in for another hug. He stayed in Nick's arms for longer than a few seconds to really enjoy the comfort of a friend surrounding him before he was finally pulling back. He then parted ways with Nick and finally headed into his music class knowing it was another day where he probably wouldn't see Louis.

Which meant that it had now officially been one week since he last saw Louis.

Harry went up to his chair and sat down with a sigh as he stared at the empty seat next to him. It was a little melodramatic for him to stare longingly at a chair Louis normally sat in, but after everything that happened, all Harry wanted to do was see Louis.

The lads were already in their seats when Harry came in. Harry knew the lot of them were staring at him because he could feel it burning a hole in the side of his head. He also should have known one of them would try to talk to him, but even then, he still flinched when Niall placed his hand on Harry's back.

"Mate, you okay?" is what he asked.

Harry bit his lip and slowly dragged his eyes away from Louis' chair. He shifted his body to face his friends and offered them a weak, nonconvincing smile. "I'm good. Honest."

"Have you got a hold of Louis then?" Zayn asked with a frown.

"No."

The bell for the first hour rung shortly, and Mr. Reeds was approaching the front of the classroom to cut their conversation off short, which Harry was pretty grateful for. He began informing the class about the last project for the year, which happened to be the group final performance. Harry and the lads had met a few times to go over what to do, but each time they got together, Louis had either been at football or chose to keep his distance from Harry for his sake.

After Mr. Reeds talked about the project, he had a couple more students coming up to the front of the class to finish reading their song lyrics. Mr. Reeds had wanted the entire class to read the lyrics they wrote for the last project they turned in, and only a few more students had to go until they would move on. Harry and the other lads had already read theirs to the class, but Louis hadn't yet, and it was, unfortunately, the last day for them to do the readings.

About fifteen minutes into class, after the last reader went, the front door was creaking open slowly. Mr. Reeds looked up from where he was sat at the piano and eyeballed the culprit who was walking in late.

Of course, it was Louis.

Louis tried to sneak his way inside by tiptoeing across the floor. He got his left foot up on the bottom stage level before Mr. Reeds was stopping him from going anything further.

Harry immediately brightened up when he finally saw Louis after the week of them being apart. He felt a creepy smile stretching across his face and his eyes zoning in on Louis' perfect frame. He even felt his own body relax at seeing Louis not looking like a complete and total wreck. He was still dressed in his normal clothes and looked dashing as ever. If anything, the lack of sleep was noticeable under his eyes and the stubble around his jawline had grown more, but either way, he looked relatively normal.

"Mr. Tomlinson, how nice of you to join," Mr. Reeds called out annoyed. "And in perfect timing for you to read your song."

Louis let out a sigh and slumped his shoulders immediately. "Oh, come on. Seriously?"

"Everyone else has done it, and you're the only one who hasn't."

Louis nodded his head and dragged himself and his backpack over to the podium in the front of the room. He stood behind it as he waited for Mr. Reeds to hand him back his graded song lyrics. Louis placed the papers perfectly flat on the podium stand and blinked down at it a few times before swallowing down his nerves and looking up into the audience.

Harry's eyes caught his immediately, and he felt his breath stop short in his throat. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt his stomach swooning with butterflies all in that brief moment where their eyes met. Louis broke the stare first by diverting his eyes straight to his paper and letting out a shaky breath to prepare himself to finally read it.

It was the first time Harry was hearing it himself, and he was growing rather nervous as well. When things were going really rough between him and Louis, Louis had begged for Harry to read the words to the song in hopes Harry could understand how Louis felt. But Harry refused every time. Now though, now was the time for Harry to hear it.

_It's inevitable everything that's good comes to an end._   
_It's impossible to know after this we could still be friends._

_I know you're saying you don't want to hurt me, and maybe you should show a little mercy._

_The way you look I know you didn't come to apologize. (Hey, Hey, Hey)_

_Oh, why're you wearing that to walk out of my life? (Hey, Hey, Hey)_

_Oh, even though it's over you should stay tonight (Hey, Hey, Hey)_

_If tomorrow you won't be mine, won't you give it to me one last time?_

_Oh, baby let me love you goodbye_

Harry's heart was beating faster and faster as each line to the song fell off so easily from Louis' tongue. He knew the song was about him, otherwise, why would Louis spend so much time trying to get Harry to read it?

When Louis finished the song, he handed the paper back to Mr. Reeds and hastily went to his spot on the top stage level. Harry's eyes never left Louis' body even when he took his seat in the chair right next to him. Harry had so many emotions running through his mind and so many things he wanted to say, but again he was left speechless, only being able to stare dumbly at Louis.

Louis didn't say anything the rest of the class hour or make any motion to look at Harry. If anything, he looked embarrassed with the way his cheeks were coated red and his arms hugging tightly around his bag. He was scrunched in on himself as if he was trying to make himself disappear into the chair, and even when the hour bell rang, he darted out the room before anyone got a chance to talk to him.

Harry tried not to think too much about Louis ignoring him the morning, but it was hard considering Louis had done so many things over the past week that was worth talking about. Even given the fact that Louis read a whole ass song that was basically written about wanting Harry even though they weren't together. It was all confusing, and Harry simply needed answers.

Harry was still hearing people talk about everything come lunchtime. Having Louis back the whole day of school did spark some more gossip. Mainly involving Harry and Louis' relationship, but Harry was tired of hearing different things from various people. All Harry was really looking forward to was having his quiet lunch hour outside.

Harry was closing his locker door after grabbing his bag of food as he had been for the past week, but it was then when someone was gripping the back of his shirt and yanking him in the opposite direction of his lockers that had him realize his quiet free week was ending. His back ended up being slammed into the lockers on the other side of the hallway, causing a loud grunt to come from him. His head had knocked up against the door hinge to the locker and ended up making his vision go a little blurry.

When Harry was finally able to see straight and gain some sense of his vision, he noticed Stan was stomping his way over towards him. Harry's bag and lunch fell to the floor as Stan dugs his hands into the meat of Harry's shoulder, pinning him against the lockers as fury stared to burn within his eyes.

"You fucking _disease_ ," he spat at Harry. "You think you can hop on any dick that you want, and they'll just turn gay for you?"

Harry's eyes had widened when Stan pulled back to send a blow right into Harry's stomach. Harry didn't even get a chance to reply as his breath got caught in his throat and a dull pain was spreading from his stomach to the rest of his body.

Harry's legs then gave out, and he ended up sliding down the lockers. Before Harry's ass could actually hit the floor, Stan gripped the collar of Harry's shirt and yanked him back up. He easily tossed Harry's back up against the locker a couple of times to make Harry wince before he was simply just pinning him there.

Harry was expecting a lot more to come from this with the way Stan's face showed pure hatred and anger. Harry even closed his eyes and tried to relax all the muscles in his body to make the hits not hurt as bad, but then there was an echo of a voice going down the hallway before Stan was being yanked off of Harry.

When Harry's eyes opened, he saw that Louis' fingers were clenching on to Stan's shirt as he held him on the other side of his body. Louis was now in the middle of Harry and Stan, his eyes hardening as he focused more on Stan at the moment.

"It would be pretty unfortunate if this got back to Coach and you ended up missing postseason wouldn't it?"

Stan's eyebrows furrowed as he looked straight at Louis and then back to Harry before he was shaking himself free from Louis' hold. The two of them then stood facing one another in the middle of the hallway as if they were ready to fight each other, but with a brief glance towards Harry's way again, Stan rolled his eyes and ended up walking away.

Louis let out a big breath of relief when Stan had completely disappeared to leave the two of them in the hallway alone. Harry was still pressing himself up against the locker as he was once again left speechless after Louis doing something relatively spontaneous. Because well, Harry had absolutely no words for what happened - Louis had finally stood in and defended Harry in front of Stan.

Louis licked his lips and slowly turned around to face Harry. He offered Harry a weak smile as he stepped closer to grab his food and bag off the ground. Once he had those in his hands, he reached them out for Harry to grab. Except, Harry didn't take them from his hold. Instead, he pushed himself off the lockers and went straight to give Louis a hug.

"Louis, I'm so sorry. I'm such an idiot for -"

"Harry," Louis then sighed, gently stepping back from Harry and giving him a small smile to show he wasn't mad. Harry rolled his lips together and clasped his hands in front of his body, trying to not let the mass of words spill from his mouth so Louis could say what he needed to say. "My mom was released yesterday to come home."

Harry blinked twice before his lips started curving up in a wide smile. He pulled Louis back in another hug and started swaying them in a small, celebration dance. "Oh, wow. That is amazing," Harry cheered. He pulled back from Louis and let out a sigh. "I was so worried about you, but I'm glad things were actually okay."

Louis bit his lip as he stared at every feature on Harry's face, flicking his eyes all around until they landed on Harry's mouth. He then stepped closer to Harry and moved his hand to cup the underside of his jaw. He used his other hand to move the random pieces of hair that were framing Harry's face back behind his ear before resting his hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry was breathing nervously while he carefully watched Louis face. He could tell Louis was hesitant and slow in his movements since they were out in the open, even showing some nerves with shaky hands, but Harry could see him trying. This was the first actual time Louis had shown any sort of affection in these hallways without worrying if they would get caught.

"Do you want to come over after the game?" Louis finally asked to break the silence.

"To meet your mum?

Louis shrugged his shoulders, finally cracking a smile, "Maybe its time I stop being so scared."

Harry's smile grew even wider before he was yanking Louis forward to seal his answer with a fearless kiss.

The two of them separated after they spent lunch together to go about the rest of their day. Louis had a game to prepare for, and Harry was meeting Liam and Niall at Nandos with Zayn. He and Zayn both had the same class at the end of the day, so the two of them decided to walk out to the parking lot together and carpool to the restaurant.

When the two of them walked out the main entrance to the school, Harry turned his head towards the football pitch and noticed Louis was running laps around the field. None of the team was there yet other than the Coach, and from what Harry could tell, he didn't look too happy.

Harry didn't realize he had stopped walking to stare at Louis until he felt a hand on his shoulder. The sudden contact caused him to jump and jerk his head towards the person who touched him. It was only Zayn looking at Harry with an amused smile.

"He's been running since he got out here for warm up."

"They have a game today though," Harry reminded with a frown, slowly dragging himself alongside Zayn whilst still watching Louis run.

"He'll be fine. He probably won't play today anyways since the school we're up against is the worst in our conference. Plus, he missed nearly a whole week of school, so I'm sure this is his punishment."

Harry let out a sigh in response and got himself in the passenger side of Zayn's car. Zayn then started driving them towards the restaurant where Niall and Liam were already at since they had an early release for the day. When Zayn had stopped at the red light on the same street as Nandos, Harry started to anxiously shift in his seat. Zayn noticed and turned to look at him, raising his eyebrows while Harry nervously nibbled on his bottom lip.

"So _uh_ -" Harry started, twisting his fingers in his lap, knowing that Zayn was going to keep pestering him with his look until Harry explained what his issue was. "Louis invited me over after the game."

Zayn raised his eyebrows and turned back to look out the window. Harry was carefully watching his reaction to see if he showed any judgment or any sign of emotion, but Zayn did nothing. He simply twisted his lips to the side as he started driving forward when the light turned green.

"How come?" He then asked.

"His mum his home, and he wants me to meet her."

That got a reaction out of a Zayn.

"He really _does_ fucking love you. Wow," Zayn laughed fondly, softening his features to smile.

Harry frowned, "Why do you say that?"

"Louis is the _biggest_ momma's boy ever. He holds her higher up above anyone else and cares deeply about what she thinks," Zayn explained with a smirk, "He doesn't just bring anyone to meet his family. Only me and the lads have because we've all been friends since we were so young, but Stan, Eleanor, Oli - the football team, none of them have met them."

"You think he's ready to be with me then?" 

"I think you should ask him," Zayn replied with instead, but when he saw the unamused look on Harry's face, he let out a little puff of air. "But if you're asking me what I think his feelings are, then I can say he is truly _in love_ with you. Like massively in love with you. Probably the most in love he has ever been in his life."

"He told me he loved me," Harry reminded with a blush.

"True, but sometimes people may have other ways to show their love rather than just simply saying it."

Zayn pulled up into the parking spot at Nandos and the two of them got out to meet the others. The four of them ate a quick lunch together before they were all heading back to the school to watch the game.

As predicted, per Zayn, Louis had started the game but was taken out shortly before halftime. North Bridge was already winning 2-0 by then with a goal from Louis, but after he was pulled, he didn't see the field again. It was probably due to the fact they didn't necessarily need Louis hurting himself this game worst case scenario, they were about to head into postseason and need all their first string players healthy. But even with him out of the game, North Bridge had won 4-0.

After the game, Harry followed the rest of the lads to meet Louis once he was finished cleaning himself up in the locker room. Harry was growing anxious the longer he waited with the realization that he was really about to meet Louis' mother. It was starting to make everything between both of them so real, and not even Reid had properly introduced Harry to his own mother. So this was kind of a big deal.

Zayn must had seen the nerves radiating off Harry because he was stepping up to his side and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. He swayed both of them a little and offered Harry a comforting smile in hopes Harry would loosen the tension in his own shoulders and maybe lighten up. Except, it was when Louis was walking out the locker room doors when Harry eased up and finally smiled. Their eyes met instantly in the crowd of people, and Louis was heading straight to where Harry was standing. Louis didn't even stop to talk with Stan or any other players or cheerleaders. It may have bothered that group of people considering Stan harden his glare over at Harry, but none of it mattered when blue eyes were focused on green.

Louis first met with Liam, Niall, and Zayn considering he would be spending the rest of the night with Harry. Harry waited off to the side patiently with a smile on his face as their friends started hugging Louis and congratulating him on the win. When they were finally done passing hugs around and making lame jokes, Zayn started pushing Liam and Niall away to leave Louis alone with Harry.

When it was just the two of them, Harry smiled shyly as he blinked over at Louis, waiting for him to say something first.

"Still up for it?" Louis questioned, lips curving up.

"Yeah," Harry nodded, biting his lip when an influx of butterflies started swimming in his belly.

Louis smiled in return and reached to grab Harry's hand, not showing any fear as he laced their fingers together. Harry felt his breath nearly get knocked out of him as he stared at the way his and Louis' hands fit so perfectly together and how Louis didn't mind that people were looking while he began walking them towards the parking lot.

Louis walked Harry to his car and told him to wait while he went to his own. Since they both drove to school separately, Harry was going to follow Louis all the way to his house. It was both a good and bad thing for Harry. Bad because he wished he had the car ride with Louis to help calm him down, but also good because it gave him some alone time to relax and freak out at the same time.

When they both pulled up to Louis' house, Harry smiled as he admired the outside of it. It was a white paneled two story farm style looking house. It was raised on a deck and had a huge front porch with rocking chairs and kids drawing table right next to it. The stairs leading down from the porch had a big flower garden on both sides. There were a bunch of toys tossed around in the yard and a couple of children's bikes laying flat on its side. The driveway had different chalk drawings from what Harry supposed were from the younger twins, but he could make out a few drawings from Louis as well that made him smile.

Louis guided Harry all the way to the front door with a steady hand low on his spine. Right before he reached for the doorknob to enter his home, he pulled back and turned towards Harry.

"I'm trying," he admitted, "For real this time," he added, ready to open the door before he pulled back and remembered something. "Oh, and her name is Jay. Some helpful information too."

Louis leaned in to press a kiss to the side of Harry's mouth before he was finally opening the door. He reached back to grab on to Harry's wrist and started leading him down the hallway to what apparently was the living room. That's when Harry caught sight of Louis' mom sitting on the couch looking as wonderful as ever.

She was drinking a cup of tea with one hand while the other was gently patting one of Louis' sister's hair who was lying asleep on the couch. His mother looked beautiful sitting there in her home, looking comfortable and happy to just being there. Her head was wrapped in an elegant floral scarf and her body being hugged by a matching dressing gown.

Louis gave one look at Harry before he was stepping into the room to be seen with Harry following behind. Jay looked up at both of them when she realized they were there. She gave Louis a welcoming smile before her smile was growing wider once seeing Harry next to him.

"Everyone asleep?" Louis questioned quietly.

"Yeah, darling. Everyone else is in their rooms. Fizzy had just fallen asleep on the couch after studying, but I should probably send her up now."

Jay shook Fizzy gently and whispered quietly for her to get up. Fizzy groaned as she rolled over to sit herself up, rubbing her eyes while Jay leaned over to press a kiss to the side of her head. She then finally got up and gave Louis a hug before she was trudging up the stairs to her room.

When it was just Harry, Louis and Jay, Jay turned back to look at Louis. Louis sighed at his mother's questioning stare that was making him suddenly making him nervous. He walked over to the couch that was opposite to the one his mother was sitting on and waited for Harry to follow him as well. Once they were sitting side by side, Jay raised her eyebrow.

"What's going on boo bear?"

Harry snorted under his breath, trying to hide it by covering his mouth with his hand, but Louis must have still heard him. Louis nudged Harry's shoulder and pouted over at him as Harry giggled quietly under his breath.

"Anyways," Louis rolled his eyes at Harry before looking at Jay. "I do have something to tell you," he then admitted with a shaky breath.

Harry could now see how nervous Louis genuinely was to finally tell his mother about the two of them, but also the fact that its a boy that Louis was with. Harry remembered how nervous and frightened he was when he came out to his family, and at the time, he wish he did have Louis to fall back on to get him through that.

At least now, Louis had Harry there to support him. He even reached for Harry's hand so blatantly obvious in front of his mother and laced their fingers together. Harry smiled as he turned his head towards Louis, giving his hand a comforting squeeze before Louis was taking a deep breath to continue.

"I'm in love with Harry."

Harry's eyes widen at hearing Louis say those words _again_ , this time with more meaning than just being yelled in his face out of anger. Harry felt his heart start to pick up speed and his hands grown clammy from where they were locked with Louis'. Harry swallowed and looked over at Jay to see her reaction, noticing that she was trying to bite back a laugh.

"So, _he_ must be the boy that's been giving you such trouble."

"What trouble?" Harry then asked, jerking his head to Louis and frowning.

"It was quite obvious Louis was having some relationship issues," Jay then teased with a smile, "I was just waiting for him to come talk to me about it and tell me who it was."

"Well, I just didn't know how to tell you that I was with a _boy_ ," Louis whined in return.

"You should know that I would never care who you love, as long as that person makes you happy."

"He does make me happy," Louis blushed, nibbling on his bottom lip as he turned to look at Harry.

Louis was finally relaxed after coming out to his mother. He was more carefree about what he did with Harry and even started cuddling him on the couch while they spent the next few hours chatting. Harry really got to appreciate the other side of Louis that showed his love for his mother, a momma's boy from what Zayn had said.

At around midnight, Jay had left the two of them to go lay down in her room. Harry and Louis remained tangled on the couch together with Harry's cheek resting comfortably against Louis' chest. He really didn't plan on moving at all because this right here was something he had been looking forward to since they first cuddled in bed together.

"Hey," Louis mumbled after they been sitting there for a while in the quiet. Harry tilted his head up and looked at Louis, ready for him to continue with what he wanted to say. "Can I take you on a date - a real proper one?"

Harry's lips curved up into the biggest smile as he arched his body up to give Louis his answer with a kiss. "Only if I could spend the night," was Harry's bargain, to which Louis answered with a kiss of his own.

 

//

 

Harry stepped out of Louis car and ended up laughing at where they were. His eyes scanned over the sign to the place before he was shaking his head fondly with a bite to his lip.

"Why do you look like that?" Louis questioned, raising his eyebrows in concern.

Harry began giggling again as he noticed the strange look Louis was giving him. He couldn't help but continue to laugh while Louis began walking over towards him to wrap his arms around Harry's body. Harry smiled as he moved his arms around Louis' neck to keep him closer. He leaned in to nuzzle their noses together before pulling back and looking at the sign again.

"Bowling?" Harry smiled, "What are we, thirteen?"

Louis rolled his eyes and stepped back from Harry. He grabbed on to his hand and started guiding him towards the entrance to the place. "There _is_ an arcade and a roller rink."

"How old are you?" Harry teased in return, playfully swinging their combined hands through the air noticing Louis' fail attempt in trying to suppress his smile.

"This is an A-plus date if I say so my self," Louis defended.

Louis leaned over and pressed a slobbery kiss to the side of Harry's face before he was ordering both of them lane. They got their shoes and their bowling balls and headed to the far end of the bowling rink to set up their game.

Harry was in charge of setting the machine up with their names while Louis disappeared to the bar to order them some food and drinks. By the time he came back, he read the names up on the screen and frowned as he walked up behind where Harry was sitting on the bench.

"Boo Bear?" he grumbled, then snorting as he read the next one. "H Swizzle? What are you, a rapper?"

"It's my thug name."

Louis rolled his eyes and leaned down to kiss the shell of Harry's ear. "You're ridiculous," he muttered against Harry's skin.

Harry giggled as he pressed the enter button so that they could start their game. He had put his name in first, so he was standing up to make the first move of the game. He grabbed a bowling bowl that he seemed fit and walked up to the edge of the line for their lane.

Harry briefly glanced back at Louis and playfully gave him a mean look before he was stepping forward and rolling the bowling ball down the line. Harry purposely held his finishing pose as he stared in awe at the ball knocking down all the pins. He jumped up and turned around with a clap, shaking his hips while he was going to trade spots with Louis.

"Easy strike," Harry smirked as he slid his body past Louis' with a smirk.

"Don't get too cocky. I'm a pretty good bowler so watch out."

Harry rolled his eyes and made a move to sit on the bench Louis had just gotten up from, but not before Louis was sneaking his hand around to grab Harry's ass playfully. Harry squealed and immediately sat himself down while Louis was giggling his way over to the bowling ball feeder to pick a ball up.

"Watch your hands, Mr. Tomlinson," Harry warned him playfully, raising his eyebrows when Louis looked innocently up at him.

"Thought it was an invitation."

Harry grumbled under his breath as he watched Louis getting himself ready to bowl the ball. He took much longer than Harry did by actually practicing how he wanted his arm to come through when he released the ball. Louis was being dramatic and obnoxious by showing Harry the real mechanics to bowl perfectly, but as ridiculous as Louis was being, he made Harry laugh uncontrollably.

And as if Louis had expected it, he bowled a strike. He smugly swiped off his shoulders as if it was such an easy thing to do before he was walking back over to Harry. Harry rolled his eyes and tried to bite back another giggle as he went bowl for his turn.

It turned out they were both relatively good bowlers, however, Louis came out victorious in the end by ten points. After their first round of game, the food Louis had ordered finally arrived, and they both took a break from bowling to eat their dinner. They both split a pitcher of beer between the two of them and each had their own medium pizza.

Once everything was eaten, they then returned to bowling for their second game. This time Harry was determined to win and not let Louis show off. He wanted to shove it back into Louis' face that he was just as good as a bowler and could beat him easily.

"So we are in postseason now for football, right?" Harry had questioned about halfway through the game, still trailing a little behind Louis in points.

Louis bowled another perfect strike and returned to Harry with an even bigger smile. Harry briefly looked up at the score and rolled his eyes before he was expectedly looking at Louis to answer the question he just asked.

"Second round is tomorrow," Louis laughed, "Do you not pay attention to anything at school?"

Harry shrugged his shoulder as he stood up from the bench. He walked over to the ball feeder and bent down to pick his favorite before he was hugging it to his chest. "Not really. I thought the game was tonight for the longest time, but clearly, it's not."

"Well, I'm quite glad it's not tonight."

Louis gave Harry a wink before he walked back to the bench to leave Harry standing here like a blushing mess. It ended up affecting his next turn, only knocking the pins down through a Spare. It knocked Harry's points up just a little, but he was still far enough behind that if he didn't bowl a strike his next three rounds, he was most likely going to lose again.

Except, the next time Louis was up, he ended up bowling it straight into the gutter. And then afterward, he continued to bowl it into the gutter while Harry caught his points up by bowling either a strike or a spare. Harry was kind of shocked at first thinking maybe Louis burned out his bowling skills, but after the third gutter in a row, Harry kind of figured Louis was letting him win this one. It was a pity win, but Harry won nonetheless by a lot of points.

After Harry finished his last round with a double strike, he turned around and started doing a little victory dance in Louis' face. But, instead of Louis being annoyed, kind of like how Harry was when he lost, he was sitting on the bench staring at Harry with a smirk on his face before his hand was reaching out to grab Harry by the bottom of his shirt.

"You're a dork," Louis mumbled.

Louis pulled Harry in closer to his body and spread his thighs so Harry could stand in between them. Harry smiled down at Louis as he placed his hands on Louis' shoulders, leaning forward so their chests were pressed together. Louis wrapped his arms fully around Harry's waist and leaned up so that their lips could press together.

"Can we go play games now?" Harry mumbled against Louis' mouth, pressing in for another kiss before he was pulling himself back and grabbing Louis' arm. "Let's go play."

"And you made fun of me for bringing you here," Louis playfully scoffed, letting himself be dragged by Harry to the arcade.

Harry rolled his eyes as he took both of them to go get a game card. Since Louis paid for the food and the bowling lane, he ended up buying the credits for them to play. They ended up being in the arcade for a little over an hour and collecting over a thousand tickets. Which, Harry was bouncing with excitement to have won enough tickets for them to actually get a decent prize rather than the smaller ones.

And yea, okay so Harry was having a blast at a place he considered a childhood date. He loved Louis for a reason, and that reason was how he embraced his inner child, and being here at this bowling alley has really let Harry just let loose and have genuine fun with Louis. Plus, Harry loved the affection that Louis was constantly giving him.

Whether it be them holding hands as they walk around the place. Louis pressing himself behind Harry's back as he played a game or keeping a steady hand on his hip while watching him with a fond smile. Even giving him congratulatory kisses after he won a game or earned more tickets to their collection, it was those little affectionate moments that had Harry blushing for more.

After using up all their credits, Louis dragged Harry over to the roller rink area with very much resistance from Harry himself. Harry groaned dramatically when Louis ignored his pleas not to go skate, and he ended up whining when Louis bought them their skates with a giant grin on his face.

"I'm gonna bust on my ass," Harry complained.

The two of them put their skates on and carefully walked over to the rink. Louis giggled as he got on the rink and swirled around to face Harry. He reached his hands out for Harry to grab, and Harry did so carefully as he slowly stepped on to the rink with wobbly legs.

"You probably will," Louis agreed, starting to skate backward as he held on to Harry's hands. "Good thing I know how to roller skate."

"Is there anything you can't do?" Harry smiled.

Louis lazily shrugged his shoulders as he yanked Harry closer to him. Harry's eyes grew wider while his skates scooted across the flooring quickly until he landed against Louis' chest.

Harry smiled weakly as Louis giggled while standing Harry back on his feet properly. He held Harry close to him by wrapping his arms tightly around Harry's body while still moving his roller blades on the ground.

"When you have little sisters who love to skate and bowl, you pick up a few things."

"So you cheated," Harry teased, gripping on to Louis' biceps tighter whenever they started to move a little faster. "You had an advantage."

Harry yelped by the end of his sentence when Louis abruptly pulled himself away from Harry. He skated backward and spun off to the side as he left Harry stranded on his own two skates.

Harry's eyes widen in fear right away as he reached his arms to grab on to something, but nothing was there to balance him. He skimmed across the ground for a few more seconds before he started to freak out. Harry started to lose control of his legs when they began flailing all around. His feet were skidding across the ground quickly, and as excepted, Harry ended up falling on his ass.

Louis started laughing as he finally skated his way over to Harry. He stood right in front of his slumped body on the ground and laughed, even more, when Harry started to pout at him.

"Bastard," Harry mumbled, but he did take Louis' hand that he offered and got pulled back up to his feet.

Louis immediately pulled Harry back into his body by gripping the sides of his face and trapping Harry up against the wall with his legs. "You're fucking adorable," Louis mumbled before he was pressing a kiss to Harry's lips.

They got off the skating rink after that and ended up finishing their date by going to the prize station. They still had all their tickets that they won to trade in for a prize they could keep as a memory.

Harry was giddy as he held Louis' hand while dragging him straight to the counter. They totaled up to have nearly 2500 tickets from playing the arcade games. The worker at the front had pointed up to the area that their tickets could get them, and Harry's eyes widen in awe as he looked at all his potential prizes.

"You chose, babe. What do you want to get?" Louis asked, moving his hand around Harry's waist as he leaned his own body against the ticket counter.

Harry truly contemplated while he continuously looked over everything he could trade his tickets in for. He really wanted to get something for the both of them as a little reminder of this date they had together. Harry's eyes then landed on the perfect pair of prizes that he thought would be perfect for both him and Louis to take home.

"The two bears."

Harry pointed up to the two bears that were about a thousand tickets each. The bears had a rainbow color coat with a tiny white t-shirt showing off the logo to the bowling place. Harry was even giddier as the worker reached up to grab the pair of bears before Harry was snatching them both out of his hand to hold them close to his chest.

Louis eyed him carefully for a moment before giggling and spending the last 500 tickets on other things. They mainly spent it on candy and a couple of smaller items that they were probably going to forget about. But as they were leaving the place, Louis was shaking his head fondly while watching Harry still clutch those two bears close to him.

"Why the bears?" He asked.

Harry's smile grew as he finally handed over one of the bears to Louis, "I wanted to have a matching prize. It's cute and cheesy, like this date."

Louis rolled his eyes at the comment, but the smile on his lip proved that he was endeared. He held the bear under his free arm while the other went to grab Harry's hand. When their fingers were laced together, Louis brought Harry's hand up and began pressing kisses to his knuckles.

The two of them were finally heading out of the place and barely making it a step onto the parking lot when they caught sight of unwanted people. Manchester is a relatively big town to where you don't normally see people from different parts of the city, but considering the bowling alley was right in the heart of Manchester, they should have known they were susceptible to seeing anyone.

Harry stopped in his tracks when he saw Reid and Cara getting out of their car. His body instinctively turned towards Louis whenever he made eye contact with Reid from the few feet they were away. Louis looked up as well and groaned once he realized why Harry was acting like that. Reid and Cara were both walking straight there way, clearly looking to start some trouble. More so Reid than Cara. If anything she looked dreadful.

"Well, if it isn't my beloved cock whore of an ex," Reid greeted right away, a bright smile on his face as he stepped up in their way.

Harry rolled his eyes and tried turning his body further into Louis' chest, but Louis stepped in front of him and stood face to face with Reid. "Come on man, don't fucking say that," he snapped.

Harry bit his lip when he noticed the tension starting to build up in the back of Louis' shoulders. He could hear it in the tone of his voice too that he was already getting aggravated and angry just from being in the presence of Reid, and if Harry remembered so clearly about the last few altercations Reid and Louis have been in, it typically ended up with Louis punching Reid.

That was something Harry really didn't want - well, kinda. More for the sake of Louis. The last thing Harry wanted was for Louis to get into any trouble or even get a scratch on his body that could potentially sit him for playoffs. So Harry stepped up to Louis' back and placed his hand on his hip, trying to calm Louis down and letting him nonverbally know he was fine.

"Reid, come on," Cara begged when Reid wasn't making a move to leave them alone. She stepped to Reid's side and grabbed on to his arm, doing her best to drag him away, but he was stubbornly holding his position. "Let's just go inside."

"Why do that when I can stand here and remind both of them that Harry got dicked down by me first," Reid smirked as he yanked his arm free from Cara's hold. Cara let out a sigh and stepped back with a groan, crossing her arms over her chest in annoyance.

"Shut the fuck up," Harry then growled at Reid, his own fingers clenching deeper into where they were resting on Louis' hip. And well, so much for trying to calm Louis down because now he felt himself getting easily annoyed as well.

It just kind of seemed like Harry couldn't easily avoid Reid like he had intended to.

"Must not feel the same knowing that his ass was once mine, and you just got what was leftover," Reid continued, smirking when he saw Louis' eye twitch. "Kind of how it's been, huh? Louis taking my seconds, but wait - didn't Harry fuck another guy before you? Nick, was it? So you don't even get my seconds, you get my thirds."

"Reid," Cara then scolded.

Harry let out a huff and really tried to put more effort into dragging Louis away, but Reid was continuing to talk smack that prevented Louis from wanting to leave. Harry could tell this whole situation was about to get worse if Louis wouldn't leave because he could see the anger practically radiating off his body. His veins were poking out of his neck and his once bright, blue eyes were darkening with every word that came from Reid's mouth.

Reid shifted his shit talking from Harry to football. As always, it was a pissing war between both of them. Also considering the fact the two of them are up for the same awards again doesn't help anything go smoother either. That's when Reid began attacking Louis' skill and ability to play football, basically calling him washed up and trash talking about Louis' team.

It was starting to get to the point where Louis couldn't handle it anymore, and he just snapped.

"Reid, I'm about to remind you of the fact that even though your team beat us last year, your fucking ass still didn't win the MVP award," Louis then reminded slowly. "In fact, you choked. You didn't even score a goal the entire game. We may have lost - _once_ \- but I scored both our damn goals so you have no shit to talk when every year I beat you in what counts."

Louis took a slow and steady breath as he removed himself from Harry to step closer to Reid. The two of them were now face to face as Louis' eyes harden from where he was glaring at Reid. Harry held his breath in his throat as he watched the way Louis clenched his hands into fist by his side, expecting any minute for the first punch to happen.

It didn't.

"And as for Harry, don't you ever fucking speak about him like that again," Louis then added, voice sounding so raspy and cold that it made a shiver go down Harry's spine. "We all know what I'm capable of doing to you whenever you talk shit like that about him, so if I were you, I would watch what you say because you won't get away with throwing any more tings at my boy."

Louis didn't wait to hear a response from Reid. He immediately turned around and grabbed Harry's hand to yank them back towards the car. It was completely silent as Louis got in the driver's sear while anxiously waiting for Harry to get in as well.

The drive back was also filled in complete silence while the thick tension was starting to grow. Louis was gripping on to the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were turning white and the expression on his face looked as if he was troubled. Harry didn't really know what to say or do other than to stare straight out the front window.

He was tapping his own fingers against his thighs as his heart was racing in his chest. Harry continuously keep replaying the events over and over again in his head, and when he really thought about it, he kind of wished Louis did punch Reid in the face. It would have been something he really wanted to see because even just Louis getting in Reid's face like that and shutting him up, was kind of hot in Harry's opinion.

Harry could feel his face flushing and his bodybuilding up with heat as he tried to calm his mind down, but he couldn't. Something about the way Louis defended him to Reid was a rush of thrill he didn't know he needed. Louis had so much self control in the whole situation, but his features and his body language did give away how pissed he was, and Harry never knew he needed to see a pissed off Louis to realize how fucking hot it was to witness.

When they pulled up to Harry's house, Louis got out of the car and walked Harry to the front door. He let out a sigh and held on to Harry's hand before Harry had the chance to even think of escaping Louis.

"Look, Harry-" Louis started, but he was immediately interrupted when Harry pressed his lips jerkily against Louis'.

Harry simply couldn't take it anymore. He had too much heat building up in his system and his body begging to be pressed up against Louis' that he couldn't resist any longer. Every part of him at the moment was screaming for Louis to just take control, and that was all he really wanted. Even with the kiss, he could feel Louis wedging his tongue in between Harry's lips before he was licking his way inside Harry's mouth.

It had a weak moan coming from Harry, his arms wrapping around Louis' neck to help anchor him. His body was completely pressed against Louis', curving so easily against his that Harry didn't want there to be even an ounce of space between both of them. Harry briefly pulled back from the kiss so they could both catch some air and for him to open the front door.

"My parents aren't here," Harry had informed, dragging Louis towards his body again.

Louis grunted in return and pushed his body up against Harry's so they were stumbling through the front door together. He slammed the door behind him as Harry gripped Louis' bicep to guide him up to his bedroom. Once they were safe inside the room with the door locked, Louis pushed Harry back on the bed.

Harry smiled as he leaned back on his elbows and opened his legs as an invitation. He started reaching for Louis before Louis had the chance to even lay himself on top of Harry. Their kissing continued once Louis had placed himself in between Harry's legs, having Harry's bare thighs hugging his hips once all their clothes were shed and a bottle of lube was resting right next to them on the mattress.

Louis licked his way into Harry's mouth while using the lube to slick his fingers up. He continued pressing kisses all over Harry's face to keep him relaxed while his fingers snuck down to the opening of Harry's ass. Harry's body reacted when the first press of Louis' digit breached his hole, not used to having something there in well - fucking forever. Since Christmas, Harry thought bitterly to himself.

Harry's lips continued to chase Louis' while Louis worked his fingers inside Harry. He made sure he spent his time stretching Harry out and keeping his body comfortable and relaxed by the soft presses of his lips on Harry's skin, but Harry was growing antsy the longer Louis continued to tease him. Harry needed more.

"Fuck my mouth," Harry managed to breath out as Louis' third finger nudged up against him, causing his back to arch off the bed and his thighs to clench tighter around Louis' hips.

Louis' eyes widen right away as he slipped his fingers out of Harry's ass. He looked down at Harry and saw him staring back at Louis with a determined look on his face, so Louis quickly sat back on his thighs before stroking himself gently.

Harry scooted back on the bed until he was resting against some pillows. Louis then rose up on his thighs and shifted his body so that his legs were on either side of Harry's chest. Harry eagerly reached out for Louis' hip and dragged him closer to his face as he opened his mouth for the invitation.

Louis' breath stuttered in his throat while grabbing a hold of himself. He edged his cock closer until the head was just nudging way in between Harry's eager lips. Once Harry wrapped his mouth around the tip of Louis' cock, Louis reached for the headboard in front of him and gripped on to it hard as he began rocking his hips against Harry's lips.

Harry gripped on tight to the back of Louis' legs as Louis began thrusting his hips a little faster. Harry tried his best to breath through his nose and keep his throat relax. He could feel Louis' dick inching further and further to the back of his throat until finally his nose was resting right against Louis pelvis. Louis thrusted a few more times roughly until he was pulling himself out of Harry's mouth breathlessly.

"Okay, love. Don't want to come yet," Louis smiled. He shifted himself back down until he was now in between Harry's legs. He bent himself over Harry's body and leaned his forehead closer until it was resting against Harry's own. "These beautiful, sinful lips are my favorite."

Louis smiled as he ran his pointer finger down Harry's bottom lip. He stared longly at it for a few seconds before he was capturing Harry's lip with his own. He began kissing Harry sloppily as their teeth and tongue collided with one another, but he did so as he wedged his hand in between their bodies again to grip himself in his hand.

He mindlessly guided himself to Harry's ass and pressed his hips forward when his cock caught the lining of Harry's rim. He inched just a little bit forward until the head of his cock was breaching Harry open, and at the intrusion, Harry was pulling away from the kiss with a loud, breathless moan that had his toes curling on the bed and his fingers digging into Louis back.

Louis continued to push all the way until his hips were finally resting up against Harry's ass. Louis' hands were roaming all over Harry's chest and his arms to keep his body relaxed and calm while his lips made every contact they could with Harry's sweaty skin. Louis had finished the final push of his cock inside Harry by snapping his hips until they slapped against Harry's ass.

They were fully connected with their bodies tangled together in a sweaty mess on the bed. It only took Harry a few hard, slow thrusts from Louis and the promise of his love before he was moaning out for Louis' name. Louis was following shortly behind him as Harry helped pushed him over the edge with his hands, pressing kisses all over Louis' face as he came in between their bodies.

Once they were cleaned and relatively relaxed, now in their post sex haze, Harry cuddled himself up against Louis' sweaty body. He rested his head on Louis' chest and tossed his arm and leg over his hip. Louis' own arms were tightly around Harry, keeping him close as if he was afraid any inch of space would cause them to separate.

"Will you stay the night with me?" Harry mumbled sleepily against Louis' neck, burying himself deeper against his body.

"Of course I will, love," Louis whispered in return, right before the both of them started to close their eyes.

 

//


	11. Chapter 11

It was a madhouse when Harry walked into school on a Friday morning.

North Bridge had made it to the semi finals of postseason for football. They were only one game away until they would be in the championship game, which they had made an appearance for the last five years. So there was a lot riding on the team to win their game today. Not only that, but West Point was in the same position as them as well. If they were to win their game tonight, then they would end up going to the championship game too, and it would end up being another year the two schools fight for the title.

Harry could remember so clearly this time around last year. The championship game then had consisted of West Point beating North Bridge for the first time in years, and they were the ones who held the title. At the time, Harry was beyond excited for his school. His friends were on the football team and the cheer squad, so he was rooting for them to win. He remembered that moment like it was yesterday.

He also remembered something else that kind of deterred the whole celebration for him. Of course, now, it didn't bother Harry as much considering him and Reid were broken up, but thinking about what happened just made Harry glad that he didn't have to deal with an asshole of a boyfriend anymore.

It was such a big moment for West Point for finally winning the championship game, especially considering North Bridge had won five years in a row prior to that moment. So the football team was in over their heads when the time ran out and the score ended up being 2-3, West Points game. Harry was even more proud in knowing that his boyfriend had contributed, sort of, to the defeat in North Bridge. He was also proud that Reid had beaten his long-time enemy's team, so Harry really wanted to congratulate and celebrate with Reid.

When that final second ended and the buzzer went off, Harry and all the other students in the stands had bombarded the football field. Harry had this cliche vision of seeing himself running on to the field and finding Reid so he could jump in his arms. There was confetti and balloons everywhere, the band played a celebratory tune, and all Harry wanted to do was kiss Reid in that moment and maybe be spun around in his arms.

Except, none of that happened. Instead of Harry getting his dream moment with his boyfriend, his boyfriend chose to spend that dream moment with other people. He ended up surrounding himself with a bunch of cheerleaders and a couple of football players. Harry can laugh now realizing that Cara was one of the girls that went right next to Reid's side, but at the time, he felt clueless and didn't know who to really go to. He stupidly thought Reid would seek him out in the crowd of people, but he chose to ignore Harry for the entire celebration until they met up hours later and expected some celebratory sex from Harry. It truly was pathetic.

Anyways, even though the school was bursting with hype for the game later in the evening, Harry was also concerned about the final performance for music class. However, since Louis was in the group and on the football team, he had managed to miss most of the first hour of class due to the massive school pep rally going on in the cafeteria. This meant that instead of their group performing during class, they had to perform right after the last hour of the day.

By the time the lunch hour came for Harry, people were still getting pumped for the game. The band continuously walked down the hallways playing some tune and the cheerleaders followed by chanting the school song. It was honestly an hour Harry needed to get away from the chaos of the school. He was more than excited to eat his lunch outside and relieve himself from all the loud noises coming from half of the student body.

Harry squeezed his way through the students taking over half the hallway to make it to his locker. He managed to pull his lunch out and close his locker door before he felt his body being slammed by another. His chest collided with the locker and his cheek hit up against the door hinge, something he had honestly grown used to over the past months of being at this school.

Harry groaned at the impact of his body colliding with the cool metal of the locker, and when he pulled back to see who had bumped into him, he noticed it was Stan and Calvin. "What the fuck do you want?" Harry rolled his eyes, rubbing the side of his cheek where he felt a dull pain.

"What the fuck do we want?" Calvin mocked with a bitter laugh, hardening his eyes as he went to push Harry again. "How about you back the fuck off."

Harry raised his eyebrow, keeping his back pressed against the lockers so they wouldn't be able to push him again. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked between the both of them, curling his nose in disgust, "What crawled up your ass? Surely it wasn't Stan."

Stan let out a grunt in response and ended up grabbing on to the collar of Harry's shirt. He yanked Harry forward before he was slamming him back against the locker. The impact was harder this time, and it made Harry's vison go blurry for a few seconds before he started blinking his eyes quickly in order to see straight again. Harry only got a few seconds of him recovering until Stan was crowding in his space again and shoving his forearm up against Harry's throat.

"You need to keep your fucking gay self away from Louis. Do you understand?" Stan suddenly spat in Harry's face, nearly spitting every word into Harry's eyes and mouth. "We have a championship to win, and we don't need some queer boy trying to ruin anything."

"G-go to hell," Harry replied the best he could, having not only his airway blocked but his vocal cord pressed upon.

"Just fucking stay away from him," Calvin continued the threat, stepping beside Stan and not doing anything other than simply standing there. "He doesn't need some West Point cock whore trying to manipulate him into something he doesn't want."

Harry didn't get a chance to reply, one reason being that Stan was digging his forearm right into Harry's throat, but the other reason was for the fact that Stan was using his other hand to ball into a fist, rearing it back as if he was about to punch Harry right in the face. Harry was expecting the worse as he closed his eyes in fear, knowing that if he couldn't see the punch that it wouldn't hurt as much.

Harry's body tensed up at the anticipation of getting hit, but then he was hearing footsteps rapidly down the hallway and the weight of Stan's arm being ripped away from him. Harry's eyes snapped open while he relaxed his body against the lockers. He looked ahead of him to see what happened, and he saw that it was Louis who came over to stop Stan, gripping his balled up fist and twisting his arm around so he couldn't make a move to punch anyone.

"What the fuck?" Stan ground, wincing his arm free from Louis and holding it to his chest.

"Yeah, what the hell is going on?" Calvin asked as well. He stepped up next to Stan and patted his back whilst looking straight at Louis with confusion clearly written all over his face.

"You better have a fucking good reason for laying your hands on Harry," is what Louis said, his jaw tightening as he stood defensively in front of Harry. Harry smiled at the gesture, but he also tried to remain relax and not show too much expression on his face, like how in love he was. He didn't think it would be appropriate right now.

Stan shrugged his shoulders in response, laughing shakily, "Its what we always do."

Louis let out a low grunt and stepped forward to push Stan back, "If I were you I'd leave him alone-"

"He's gay, mate," Calvin argued desperately. "He was with Reid, too."

"I don't give a shit," Louis snapped back, standing his ground, "You mess with him again, and I'll break your fucking wrist, _mate_."

Stan shook his head and let out a bitter laugh under his breath. Once he got back on his feet, he stepped forward again and got in Louis' space, hardening his features as he jabbed Louis in the chest with his finger. "So you're gay with him," he accused, sounding more annoyed than he did disgusted.

"How about you focus on actually playing halfway decent tonight instead, yeah?" Louis snapped back, clearly fed up. "Because from what I remember, your head was so far up Harry's ass last game that you couldn't perform for shit. I wouldn't be opposed to making sure you don't see the field if we make it to the finals with the way you've been acting. No matter who the hell I am with, I am _still_ the captain of the team."

Louis held his ground while Calvin and Stan were sharing looks with one another. It took a few seconds, but they backed away slowly and ended up turning around so they could head towards the cafeteria without another word spoken to either Harry or Louis. When it was just the two of them in the hallway, Harry saw Louis visibly relax before turning around. He walked right up to Harry's body and cupped the sides of his face, modeling his head around as if he was trying to see any scratches or marks.

"Shit, they didn't hurt you did they?" Louis questioned immediately. "I was heading to come meet you outside when I saw them pinning you to lockers."

Harry's face broke out into the biggest grin as he watched Louis watching him. Louis' eyes then flicked over towards Harry's, and that was when he realized Harry was goofily admiring him. Louis tilted his head to the side and hesitantly removed his hands from Harry's face, looking back at Harry as if he had two heads on his neck.

"You stood up for me," Harry giggled, biting his lip when Louis furrowed his eyebrows together.

"Okay," Louis smiled weakly, still not understanding what Harry meant.

Louis then reached for the fallen lunch bag on the floor with one hand and reaching for Harry's hand with the other. He laced their fingers together and began walking them down the hallway towards the back doors of the school. Harry was still goofily grinning to himself as they continued to walk, looking chirpier than Louis had ever seen him. Almost in an odd and strange way.

"You've just never really done it before in school. Especially in front of Stan," Harry clarified. "Not used to it I suppose."

Louis let out a laugh once he understood why Harry was so giddy. "Well, I did say I wasn't afraid of hiding anymore," Louis reminded with a smile, bringing their hands up to his mouth so he could press light kisses along Harry's knuckles. "All I'm really focused on right now is graduating, winning the championship, and well - you."

Harry blushed at the comment and tried to hide it by letting his hair fall over his face. His blush then furthered when Louis opened the back door for them and allowed Harry to go through first. He slid along past Louis' body to take the first step outside before they were walking towards the bleachers still hand in hand. Once they walked up to the stairs and took their seats on the third row, Harry turned to look at Louis with a shy smile.

"You're focused on me?"

"Well yeah," Louis shrugged his shoulders as if it was the easiest thing for him to answer. "I had a massive crush on you for the longest time and had to suffer you dating the one person I hated the most in this world. I finally have you now, and you're fully mine. I'm not letting go of that."

Harry's smile grew wider as he looked at the sincerity in Louis' eyes. He looked as if he meant every word that he said, and Harry's heart was beating even faster at that. He ended up gripping the collar of Louis' shirt and pulling him forward to press a long kiss to his lips, letting himself really savor the touch of Louis' lips on his before pulling back with a giggle.

"Well, you've been a lot better than Reid in pretty much everything so far. Especially how romantic you are," Harry admitted with a bite to his lip. "And speaking of him, Reid has been bothering me a lot these past couple weeks."

Harry remembered the numerous amount of messages he had been getting from Reid ever since their run in at the bowling alley. He still didn't understand why Reid felt the need to harass him all the time, especially considering Reid had supposedly moved on to Cara. Surely Cara wouldn't be okay with Reid constantly hounding Harry and continuously talking about their past sex life.

Because that was exactly what Reid has been doing. He's been trying to get under Harry's skin by reminding him of all the stuff they used to do together in bed and then trying to compare himself to Louis, which was oddly annoying for Harry to deal with. But in reality, there really was no comparison between Reid and Louis - whether it be in bed or on the field, Louis was Harry's option always.

"Yeah, _I know_ ," Louis agreed with an annoyed huff. "He's been messaging me about how I blew the championship game away last year. He's pretty much saying I'm going to choke again. "

Harry rolled his eyes and pulled his phone out. "Check this out."

Louis' eyes narrowed as he read the message Reid had sent Harry the other day. It was one of those messages where Reid was comparing himself to Louis and their football abilities as if Harry even needed to know about it anyways. It was a whole paragraph completely bashing on Louis and his ability to play and how Reid was up for the MVP award this season for all time scorer, which, was false. Louis had about a few goals more than him, but none of it mattered because Harry didn't understand why Reid kept sending him messages like this.

"I really would have loved if you punched him," Harry then admitted with a cheeky smile.

Louis raised his eyebrows, "Seriously?"

Harry licked his lips as he leaned his chest forward towards Louis'. He rested an arm lazily around Louis' neck while his other hand came up to cup the side of Louis' face. He leaned in to briefly press a kiss to his lips before he was rubbing their noses together.

"Just thinking about it gets me excited."

"Trust me, I would have if I could," Louis smirked, lightly pressing another kiss to Harry's lips before pulling his head back. "But I really didn't want to do anything that would jeopardize these last two games."

"Maybe after the game," Harry suggested with a cheeky smile.

The two of them spent the rest of lunch sitting outside together before they had to finish the rest of their day. They still had their final performance after school, so when the last hour bell rang, Niall, Liam, Zayn, and Harry were rushing down the hallway to get to music class. Louis was coming straight from football warm ups, so he was sweaty and out of breath by the time he met up with the other four.

Mr. Reeds was already waiting patiently inside the classroom for the five of them, sitting up in the stands with a clipboard in his lap. The equipment was already set out for their performance, so when they all walked inside the room, they walked to their spots. Niall went to the guitar, Liam took the bass, Zayn went to the sound system piano. Louis and Harry both took their places at the mic, but they were all singing various parts to the song so the others had to get mics as well.

When Mr. Reeds gave them the signal to begin, Niall hit a few keys on the guitar before Harry was singing the first verse.

_Better than words._   
_More than a feeling._   
_Crazy in love._   
_Dancing on the ceiling._

Niall sang the next verse, and then the main chorus of the song came up. That was when all five of them sang the lines together in perfect unison. It still amazed Harry how well all their voices sounded together as well as how good each one of them sang individually. They each had a few stanzas to sing as solos, and then the chorus was all together.

The minute the last line of the song was sung, Mr. Reeds was clapping his hands with a smile on his face. And Harry had the same reaction as well, feeling proud of how their performance turned out. Harry had finally got to hear Louis sing for the first time, considering Louis had barely been able to meet up for practices, and Harry realized he really liked Louis' voice. He didn't understand what Louis had to be insecure for when he had a purely angelic voice.

Once their performance was done, Louis had to sprint out of the room to get back to his football warm ups. Harry ended up staying with the other three since he was going to watch the game with them. They all started walking down the hallway towards the main entrance of the school so they could head towards the carpark.

"So, I heard about the incident in the hallway," Zayn brought up with a quirk to his eyebrow, looking over at Harry to see his reaction.

"Yeah," Harry smiled. "Louis got on to Stan and Calvin today."

Zayn let out a hum before he was looking out in front of him, "Heard his teammates aren't talking to him," he decided to add in.

"Well, it's more like Stan, Oli, and Calvin who are being petty about the whole thing," Liam clarified, "Some of the cheerleaders as well who were friends with Eleanor."

"Childishly being shunned," Niall rolled his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief

"All because he is gay?" Harry asked guiltily, feeling his stomach drop at the thought of it.

Harry was already feeling the heavy guilt set into his stomach for practically ruining Louis' friendships with his football friends. All Harry wanted was for him and Louis to stop hiding in secret and just be public in their relationship, but he really didn't want Louis to lose any of his friends in the aftermath.

Of course, Liam, Niall, and Zayn are Louis' childhood friends who would never leave Louis' side, but Louis had a whole team he needed to be cooperative with. Especially considering they were in the semi final game and about to head to the championship. Harry really didn't want anything to jeopardize the championship title for all the players who's final year it was. Especially Louis.

"I don't think it's because he's gay," Liam added in as he gave himself time to think about it. "Because this school never really had a problem with gay relationships. I mean shit, me and Zayn show off that we are together and no one mentions shit about it."

"Then what's the issue? Why is it a problem for Louis?"

The four of them continued walking until they were outside in front of the school. They headed over to a picnic bench that was on the grass area of the sidewalk and went to sit on that. It was under a tree, so it gave them some shade, but it was also perfectly in view of the football field where they could see the team doing warm ups.

"I just think it's the fact you came from West Point, honestly" Zayn fessed up truthfully, "It started off as a little teasing since you came from a rival school, but they also knew you were in with the football team and with Reid, so then it turned into something bigger. They probably see you as a threat to their title and that you're just using Louis to get him distracted from winning. It's their last year playing for this school, so they have a lot on the line for them. Especially considering West Point beat them last year."

"I would never use Louis or do any of that," Harry defended with a whine, looking past Zayn and Liam from where they were sat across from him to see Louis leading the team's warm up. "I'm properly _in love_ with Louis, and I have been for a while. I want him to win more than anything, especially if it means beating Reid out for any of the awards."

It was then quiet after Harry finished, and he didn't really think much of it as he continued to watch Louis. But then the silence continued to drag on, and he was getting curious to know if he had said something wrong. When Harry flicked his eyes back up between Liam and Zayn, he noticed the two of them were staring at him with bright smiles. Even when Harry turned to look at Niall who was next to him, he was smiling like an idiot as well.

"What?"

"You love him," Niall giggled.

"Yeah," Harry said slowly, furrowing his eyebrows. "He has said he loved me, too. Did you guys look at him like that as well?"

"Have you _told him_ you loved him?" Zayn then asked, scrunching his forehead up when Harry kind of froze.

Because well, Harry supposed he had never actually said those words back to Louis. He had been waiting so long for Louis to say that he loved Harry that when the time came, Harry was too speechless to ever say it back.

"I guess I've been waiting for that _wow_ moment to tell him."

"You don't need a wow moment," Liam advised, looking over at Zayn with a bright smile, "You just say it when you feel it."

Harry let out a sigh and looked back over to Louis. He felt his lips curving up at watching how he continued running around the field with his team. Of course, Harry loved Louis, and he's pretty sure Louis had known that as well. It's just something he hasn't verbally said yet, and he wished he had told Louis those three words the minute Louis had first told them to him. But Harry knew the minute he got the chance, he would definitely make sure Louis knew that he was loved by Harry.

Right before the game was getting ready to start, the band and cheerleaders hosted a pep rally in the parking lot. Harry and the gang ended up joining the crowd of students jumping around and hyping themselves up for the game before the pep rally started to dissipate. Afterward, everyone headed to the stands to get ready for the game when both teams took the field.

The announcer soon came on over the speaker and introduced the teams that would be playing in the semi finals. He then called out the captains from both teams to meet in the middle with the refs, and that was when Louis was walking out there with a determined look on his face. The two captains shook hands, and then Louis was walking back to his team to get ready for kick off.

North Bridge won their semi final game.

West Point won their semi final game.

And it was another matchup between the two teams for the championship game. 

 

//

 

The championship game came quicker than anticipated, and it was finally the day of the matchup between West Point and North Bridge.

Louis had already surpassed his overall goals scored in a single season, and he also broke the school record for the most goals scored in his entire career there. In overall rankings for the entire conference, he and Reid were still tied for the overall goals scored award, the MVP award, most goals scored in a season, and most wins as a team captain.

Tonight would determine who those awards went to.

"The game is at Old Trafford stadium," Niall reminded as he walked up to Liam, Harry, and Zayn outside of school. They decided to meet up at the picnic bench right in front of their football stadium to plan out their schedule for the rest of the day. Since the championship game was going to be held at a bigger stadium, held in the heart of Manchester, they had to decide their layout for the hours leading up to the game.

"The game is at six, and it's going to be about half an hour to get there with traffic," Liam informed them, taking his seat on the bench next to Zayn.

"What time you think we should head over there?" Harry questioned, mindlessly looking past them all in hopes of finding Louis. Harry couldn't see him yet, probably because Louis was still inside the school along with the rest of the students who weren't able to escape another pep rally.

"We should probably head there soon honestly," Zayn suggested, looking at Liam for approval.

Liam nodded his head in agreement, wrapping his free arm around Zayn's shoulders and pulling him against his side. "Yeah, we can head to the area now, eat some food, and then get to the stadium early enough to beat the crowd for good seats."

"Wow, when I was at West Point, we never got to the stadiums early for a game," Harry frowned, flicking his eyes between the lot of them.

Niall let out a laugh as he began patting Harry's shoulder, "Mate, it's our starter's last game at North Bridge, and its a revenge from last year. This game has a lot more on the line than before."

"Yeah," Zayn breathed out, "Also, we've lost to West Point already this year during the regular season so we need to shut those dickheads up."

Harry let out a grunt and flicked his eyes over towards the front of the school doors when he realized the pep rally was heading outside. That was when he finally caught sight of Louis' body in the mass of people, trying to weave his way through before he was able to break free.

Harry's face immediately brightened up when he noticed Louis had found where he was. Louis began jogging over to where the lot of them were sitting before he was pulling Harry up from sitting. Harry smiled when he stood on his feet to lean his body against Louis, wrapping his arms around Louis' neck and blushing when he realized they were doing this in front of anyone who could see.

"Hey, babe," Louis said breathlessly, leaning in to press a kiss to Harry's lips.

"Hello to you. You seem happy."

"More like nervous. Jittery. Too much adrenaline," Louis then laughed nervously. He held his hands up to show Harry how shaky they were, so Harry hesitantly reached forward and laced their fingers together. "Today's my last footie game ever. I think that scares me more than anything."

"Not worried about who's gonna win then?" Harry teased.

"We better fucking win," Niall called out from where he was obviously eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Niall," Zayn scolded with a slap to his arm.

Louis rolled his eyes at them and turned back to Harry with a smile. He leaned forward in to give Harry another kiss to his lips before he was detangling himself from Harry's arms. "I got to go. Our bus is picking us up by the locker room soon."

Harry gave Louis one more kiss before Louis was having to head back over with the team. Harry watched him with a dopey smile on his face as he sat back down next to Niall on the bench.

"So can we leave now?" Niall asked to break the silence, making Harry snap his head towards him since the suddenness of Niall's voice caused him to stop looking at Louis. "I'm hungry. How about Nando's?"

All of them got up and began heading their way to the car park. Zayn was the one who groaned the loudest at the suggestion and already began declining with a shake to his head. "We always go there. Pick a different place," Zayn grumbled as he tossed himself in the passenger seat to Liam's car.

"It's not like you guys give any options," Niall mumbled defeatedly to himself.

So as expected, they went to Nando's before the game. Niall was happy, Zayn was annoyed.

They spent hours leading up to the game sitting at the restaurant until it was time for them to head towards the stadium. The stadium was within walking distance, so when they were ready to go fight for their seats, they left Nando's and began heading that way.

They were still early enough to catch the first row of North Bridge's side. West Point and North Bridge's teams were already taking place on both sides of the field to begin their stretches and warm ups. Shortly, everyone started swarming into the arena, and the entire bottom half of the stadium was beginning to fill up with fans for both schools.

The anticipation and the tension in the air had finally alleviated a little when the clock struck six, and the game had begun. Harry was mainly focused on Reid and Louis as both of them met in the middle for the captain's coin toss. Then once it was kick off, Harry watched as the two of them continuously ran back and forth on the field together. The two of them were the best strikers/forwards in all of Manchester right now, and they were both up for the same award, so they were the biggest prospects of the game tonight.

The ball was in a constant ping pong battle from continuously switching positions between North Bridge and West Point. Neither team had the ball long enough to actually score a goal. Rather, the number of turnovers that were already happening in the first half had been the highest seen in a championship game, but that was because both had a strong defense in attacking the ball out of the opposer's possession.

However, at one point, there was hope building up for North Bridge.

Calvin had stolen the ball from West Point's possession, and he quickly began guiding the ball down the pitch. He found Stan easily and kicked it over to him, who then began running the ball down the sidelines. North Bridge's fan section began getting up on their feet and cheering loudly the closer Stan was getting the ball to the opposer's goal.

Stan managed to find Louis wide open with nearly no West Point guards surrounding him. However, when Stan went to kick the ball over to him, Will - a defender on West Point - had came out of nowhere and stole the ball right from North Bridge's possession. Louis cussed the minute the field of play was going the opposite way towards North Bridge's goal, shaking his head in annoyance and slowly jogging to follow the team.

Harry could now see that West Point's fan section was mimicking what North Bridge had just done and began standing up on their feet. Will had passed the ball to another player on their team who lined himself up perfectly to make his kick towards the goal. Reid was right in the line of fire and added an extra bit of help with his head to make the ball go into the top right corner of the net, pushing it right past North Bridge's goalie.

West Point scored first.

Louis and Reid were now tied with the number of goals in a single season and overall career.

"Fuck!" Liam groaned, tossing his hands in the air.

Everyone on West Point's side began cheering loudly with their cheerleaders beginning to do flips and encouraging the fans to jump around some more. North Bridge, on the other hand, was booing right way. Even Louis was on the field shaking his head at the celebration from West Point, trying to ignore when he saw Reid running by him just to push his shoulders on "accident."

"We need to fucking win," Harry growled, eyes burning a hole in the back of Reid's head.

The first half finished with no one else scoring, so West Point was in the lead. The only other shot attempt was by Oli, who was set up by Louis, but West Point's goalie was able to hit off the ball with the tip of his hands to prevent the goal. Both teams headed into the locker rooms during the break while everyone in the stands could let out a relieved breath. Everyone was finally able to sit down and not feel stressed for the little break they had before the teams were to head back out on the field.

"This is making me nervous man," Niall sighed, running his hand through his hair, "Being behind at the half always sucks."

"This is how it went last year. West Point scored first, and they ended up winning," Zayn grumbled.

They waited around until the end of the half after watching both cheerleading teams give their performances. By the time both football teams came out onto the field, it was like the entire stadium was buzzing with a different kind of energy. Everything was now on a whole other level, and the intensity of the game only increased.

North Bridge had an offense coming into this second half. Calvin didn't even give West Point a chance to kick the ball around before he was swiping it under some player's feet and guiding it towards the goal. He found Oli in the mass of people and kicked it over to him who then kicked it over to Stan.

Stan was running down the sideline gaining speed as he got closer to West Point's goal while Louis was coming in from a different angle. Louis was calling the ball from his spot, and Stan did a fake pass and turn around before he was clearing his defender to have an open shot to kick it over towards Louis.

Louis scored.

He was back in the lead for the awards.

As it turned out, the score remained 1-1 throughout the rest of the game. Even when both teams extended into overtime, the game remained tied, leading into penalty kicks. West Point and North Bridge lined up their first five contenders for the penalty kick match with Reid and Louis both going last for either team.

West Point was set to kick first, so their first kicker - which was Brad - was setting up at the line while North Bridge's goalie was getting himself ready for the block. Everyone on both sides of the stadium were standing up anxiously on their feet and holding their breaths as Brad made the first move for the shootout.

Brad scored.

1-0.

Next was Calvin, and he scored.

1-1.

Next was West Point - Will.

He scored.

2-1.

Then we missed a shot.

2-1 remained.

West Point was up again, and they missed.

2-1 still.

Oli went to the line - scored.

2-2.

West Point again. Miss.

2-2.

Stan went up. He scored.

2-3.

Last but not least, it was finally Reid and Louis' turn.

Harry immediately felt his nerves increase with his head spinning for how much anxiety and stress he was feeling at that moment. He had to grip on to Niall's arm tightly as he watched both Reid and Louis taking their final spot on to the field and getting ready to make their last shot of their school career.

Harry was bouncing between each foot as Reid set his ball down on the ground. He was taking deep breaths and trying to keep his body calm while watching Reid focus on a spot in the net. The minute Reid made the motion to move, Harry held his breath.

Reid scored.

3-3

Louis and Reid were now tied for the number of goals again, but it was Louis' turn to shoot.

Harry was still holding his breath as he eyed every move Louis made. Louis went to go grab his ball and set up at the line the referee had drawn for their team. Louis stood there for a second and looked over at the goal with steady eyes while controlling his breathing. Harry was internally freaking out because this would be the last shot Louis would ever make in his career, and at the moment, he felt more nervous than Louis had looked.

Because if Louis missed, then the game would go into another round of penalty kicks, but not only that, it would mean Louis' last kick of his career would be a miss, and he wouldn't have won the awards. Louis would have had to share that title with Reid, and Harry knew that a lot was on the line for Louis to make this shot right here.

Harry's heart started beating faster when Louis took a couple of steps back to give him the distance he needed. Harry squeezed on to Niall's arm even tighter as he felt Zayn coming beside him to squeeze his arm as well. Louis took one final breath, and then he ran forward to make his shot.

He scored.

3-4.

He was now the overall top scorer in the region.

North Bridge immediately erupted into the cheers the minute the ball went past the goalie's fingers and landed in the back of the net. North Bridge's band began playing their instruments while the cheerleaders began running around and doing flips in celebration. The football team all bombarded each other the minute they realized they won, jumping on each other's backs and passing hugs around the whole group.

The students in the stands ended up crashing on to the football pitch to join in on the celebration while a confetti cannon shot off confetti and balloons falling from the rooftop. Harry was being dragged by both Zayn and Niall on to the field to join in on the celebration. Everyone was dancing and hugging, even lifting each other up in celebration.

Harry started laughing as he spun in circles to watch everyone, letting the moment soak into his mind as confetti started falling over his face. He then started to remember being in the same position last year when it was West Point who had won, but somehow, this win felt different, better even. And he knew it the minute his eyes fell on Louis that this was the special moment, being right there by Louis' side as he basked in his success.

Harry's smile widened and his eyes grew brighter when Louis was looking directly at him. Both of their feet were moving without any restraint as they headed straight for each other. Once they were within a distance of each other, Harry let out a laugh and jogged the rest of the way to jump into Louis' arms. Louis was smiling like a fool and laughing right alongside Harry while he held on to Harry's waist tightly. He held him close to his chest and began spinning them around in circles before he was leaning forward to press his lips against Harry's.

And Harry's heart jumped at the cliche moment he had always wanted finally coming true - enjoying the championship title with his boyfriend while celebrating the success of their school together under the confetti and the balloons. It's what Harry had been dreaming of since last year since he was left stranded to celebrate alone, but now here he was, in Louis' hold, kissing him in front of everyone.

"Louis, you won. You're a fucking champion," Harry cheered, nearly in tears as he cupped the sides of Louis' face, thumbs rubbing along Louis cheekbones and his legs tightening from where they were wrapped around Louis' waist. "I love you."

Louis' eyes widen comically, biting his lip and trying not to smile, "I was wondering when I would hear those words."

Harry gave him a cheeky smile before he was leaning in to give him another kiss. Louis may have been a little sweaty, especially with some droplets lining his upper lip, and his gear smelling absolutely horrid, but Harry didn't mind as he pressed himself impossibly closer to kiss Louis. All Harry cared about was savoring the way Louis' tasted on the tip of his tongue after winning a championship game.

Harry realized it was one of his favorite tastes.

"I love you, too," Louis replied when he pulled back.

Louis set Harry back down on his feet so they could continue celebrating, but Harry barely even got the chance to stand on his feet before the whole moment was ruined. He felt the back of his shirt being gripped and then yanked backward by someone, causing him to fall down with his back landing hard on to the ground. The impact caused Harry's head to jerk, sending a dull pain down his neck that had him groaning in pain.

Harry had expected Stan of all people to be the one doing this, considering he had done it plenty of times before, but the minute Harry's vision had cleared, and he was able to look up to see who it was, he noticed it was Reid standing above him, seething in his spot. Harry's eyes widen in fear, and he felt his heartbeat start to get quicken up anxiously.

"Harry fucking Styles," he then growled, stepping closer to Harry's slumped body. "You think you can just fuck off to another school and get away with fucking the captain? You're a fucking slut who can never be anything but a cock whore."

Harry gulped, and for the first time in his life, he actually feared what Reid was about to do to him. He had never seen Reid look so angry before in his life, and he especially had never seen Reid direct that anger straight towards him. Harry could see out the corner of his eye that Louis getting ready to go after Reid, committing to that promise that he would punch Reid once the game was over, but someone was getting to that before him.

As Harry tried getting up from his spot, Reid had pushed him back down again. He looked as if he was ready to send a leg straight into Harry's stomach, but someone's fist was coming in to contact with Reid's jaw. Reid winced right away and went to cover the mark, but at the same time, North Bridge's team was coming to surround the area defensively and pushing Reid out of the way.

Harry was breathing heavily as his eyes widened to see who had punched Reid, feeling completely speechless when he realized it was Stan who had done so. Stan had shaken his fist a couple of times after the punch before he was reaching his free hand out to help Harry up. Harry hesitantly took the offered hand and stood up on his feet shakily, standing there cluelessly until Louis was pulling him into his side.

Louis held a firm arm around Harry as he turned to look at Stan, raising his eyebrow in question and standing defensively in case Stan was about to make a move that Louis wouldn't like. Stan reached his hand out, causing Louis to instinctively tighten his arm around Harry before he realized Stan was offering a truce between them.

"I got your back mate," is what Stan said, shaking Louis' hand before turning to leave them alone.

Louis gave him a curt nod in response before he was moving his head around as if he was looking for Reid. He must have caught sight of him because he immediately tried to detach himself from Harry, but Harry was refusing him to go by wrapping his arms around his neck and trying to make eye contact with him.

"He's not worth it. You're better than him," Harry reminded.

"He pushed you," Louis argued as if it was a valid reason for him to go after Reid.

"And I love you," Harry said with a smile, biting his lip when he saw Louis' body instantly relax.

"I love you, too."

The tension in Louis' shoulder finally eased up, and he confirmed he was calm by leaning in to kiss Harry again. Liam, Niall, and Zayn were soon coming up from the crowd of people and pulling Louis in with hugs and kisses. Harry stood off to the side with a proud smile while he watched Louis soak in the affection, happy that Louis was now distracted with the thrill of winning.

Once Louis had caught Harry's eyes again, from being squished in-between their friends, he called out, "Does this mean victory sex for me?"

Normally, Harry would be embarrassed at an outburst like that, not entirely wanting things like that being said out loud, but he found himself laughing. He even grabbed on to Louis' arm and ripped him away from their friends, pressing his body in close as he pressed his lips against Louis' again.

"Oh yeah," Harry mumbled against Louis' mouth, "You're so getting victory sex."

"Victory sex for everyone!" Niall then shouted.

And well, today was a good day.

 

//

 

So, fuck. Now graduation approached quicker than anticipated.

Harry really never imagined himself walking across the stage with a black cap and gown and with a diploma that was for North Bridge rather than from West Point. It never really struck him that he did spend his final year of school at a different one than he started with, and he was finally at the point of saying goodbye to it all. It was almost like it was yesterday when he was back at Reid's house for the end of summer, talking about the upcoming school year.

Now it was over, and so much had changed since Harry was sitting around that fire with his West Point friends.

Niall, Liam, and Zayn had already walked across the stage since that their last names were before Harry's. Harry's row was walking up now that they were on the "S" last names. He only had a few people in front of him before it was his turn, and then after he walked, it would be Louis' turn to do so.

The headmaster was then calling out Harry's name for his turn to take the stage. Harry smiled brightly as he walked across to receive his diploma and to shake the head master's hand. He saw Mr. Reeds at the end of the long row of commended teachers directing the band students to play the commencement song, so Harry had given him a quick hug before he was rushing back to his seat.

The moment felt all too surreal the minute Harry was back in the confines of his seat. His heart was beating really fast, and he was trying to process the fact that he had finally graduated, but it still seemed like it was all a dream to him. Louis had walked across the stage shortly after Harry, and then soon enough, the last row of students had walked. When all the students were back in their seats, the headmaster had directed for all the intended graduates to stand in their spots before he began congratulating the class on their achievements and further adventures.

Mr. Reeds then took over and instructed the band to begin playing their school song, and all the students on the ground began singing along the words. Harry still didn't know the words considering he was only there for a year, but he swayed his body to the beat and had a smile on his face as he watched the people around him sing.

Louis was then weaving his way in between people until he caught a grip on Harry's gown. Harry quickly looked his way to see who had touched him only to relax at seeing it was Louis.

"We share moments like this together, yeah?" Louis questioned softly, grabbing on to Harry's hand to lace their fingers together.

Harry's lips curved up into the biggest smile as he reached his free hand up to brush the tassels from falling in Louis' face. He then gently ran his knuckles down the lining of Louis' jaw before cupping the side of his face.

"You're such a sap now," Harry teased.

Louis rolled his eyes in response and ended up yanking Harry towards his body. The minute their lips pressed together for a kiss, was the moment the school song ended, and everyone around was tossing their graduation caps up in the air in celebration of finally graduating. Harry pulled back from the kiss hastily and looked up to the ceiling with bright eyes, watching as all the caps around them were flying up and down.

He began laughing when some caps landed around him, but then Louis was nudging Harry's attention back on him. When Harry finally looked into his eyes, Louis' smile soften.

"I love you," he said on instinct, leaning in to kiss Harry's lips again.

After the ceremony had ended, Harry and Louis left the stadium hand in hand. They were both looking for their parents out front and saw that they were actually relatively close to one another. The two of them had intended on their parents meeting at the graduation, and the idea was that they would get along. Hopefully.

"Harry," Anne called out.

"Louis," Jay said at the same time.

Harry and Louis were ripped apart from one another when their mother's grabbed a hold of their arms. Louis was being bombarded by his sisters and his other family members who came to visit while Harry was being squished by Gemma and Robin.

The minute Louis was able to break free from all the affection his family was giving him, he gently grabbed on to his mom and pulled her over towards Anne and Harry. Harry looked up at Louis once he approached and gave him a big smile as he tried getting his own mother to pay attention.

"Mum, this is Anne. Harry's mum," Louis introduced. "And Anne, this is my mum Jay."

Anne's smile seemed to brighten as she reached to shake for Jay's hand, "Hello, Jay. It's so nice to meet you. You know, Louis is such a sweetheart. Harry really did himself well by picking him."

"I could say the same about Harry," Jay added, "He makes Louis so happy. I'm glad Louis found a boy like him."

"You will never believe what Louis did for Harry," Anne then leaned in to whisper, almost like she was trying to hide the fact that she was gossiping about her own son.

Harry rolled his eyes at both of them as he felt Louis coming up behind him. His smile grew wider when he watched Jay and Anne linking arms together whilst walking through the parking lot to obviously talk about the two of them. However, Harry instantly relaxed back into Louis' chest when he felt his arms coming around his waist and Louis' lips pressing down his throat.

"So, Louis Tomlinson," Gemma interrupted as she came around their bodies to stand in front with a smirk. "Think you can pass the big sister evaluation?"

Harry let out a little huff and turned around so he could properly hug Louis. He buried his face into Louis' neck and began laughing as he watched his sister stare deeply at Louis, as if she was trying to pick him apart with her eyes. She was ridiculous.

"Truthfully, I only care about Harry's evaluation of me."

Harry blushed right away and playfully smacked Louis' chest. Louis gave him a cheeky smile and a wink before leaning in to kiss his lips. Gemma let out a thoughtful hum, seemingly considering his answer before nodding her head in acceptance.

"Fair enough," she shrugged her shoulder. "But don't think I won't be watching you," she continued to tease. "I _did_ go to West Point."

Louis groaned dramatically as he wrapped his arms fully around Harry's body, shielding him from Gemma and making Harry giggle in the process. " _Ugh_ , what betrayal. Harry is a North Bridge king now, you no longer deserve to be in the same area as us."

Gemma rolled her eyes and ruffled Louis' hair playfully, "Alright. I like you."

Gemma left the two of them to go catch up with Anne, who was still talking to Jay. Harry watched her go with another smile on his face as he continued snuggling against Louis' body. The two of them began following behind the rest of their group slowly as they all headed towards the parking lot, realizing that a lot of people had already cleared out.

"Is your family going to come to the graduation party tonight?" Louis asked once the two of them made it to Louis' car.

"Of course I'll come," Harry smiled. He shifted his body so that his back was leaning up against Louis' car while Louis was leaning his body against Harry's, trapping his body in his spot by placing his arms on either side of Harry's hips.

"Our families can be distracted by each other while we go off and have some fun," Harry then suggested with a smirk, playfully rolling his hips up.

"What kind of fun?" Louis questioned dumbly, slowly shifting his hands to Harry's ass, giving him a nice squeeze.

Harry rolled his eyes with a laugh as he moved Louis' hands off his ass. He placed them back on his waist before he was leaning forward to kiss Louis' on the lips. The two of them then got inside Louis' car to head back to Louis' house for the time being before everyone was to arrive for the graduation celebration.

All of the lads and their families came to the party, so Harry really appreciated finally getting to meet all of their families. A couple of the football players even showed up as well, three of them being Stan, Calvin, and Oli, who ended up not causing any issues at all. In fact, they all managed to have a good time together, and Harry didn't feel like he had to be cautious at any point throughout the party. Harry's entire family was there as well, and he was enjoying the fact that his and Louis' family were blending so well together.

It was a fun time as bottles of champagne were passed around, and Harry was bouncing from different people to talk to. His favorite was when Louis' younger twin sisters got a hold of him and spent hours playing with him on their swing set. Another great thing was watching Jay and Anne sitting on the couch with a glass of wine just talking each other's ears off.

Gemma was amusing herself by giving Louis a hard time, as Harry had expected her to do since the two of them met. Niall and Zayn were even by her side joining in on picking on Louis, trying to find different ways to make him blush or confess just how truly in love he was. Harry had to save Louis at one point otherwise he knew Gemma wouldn't stop until she got bored herself. And well let's face it, Harry knew Gemma enjoyed Louis a lot more than she enjoyed Reid, so she could spend hours harassing him. It was how she showed her affection.

It was around the evening time when Louis was wedging his way in between people to finally get to Harry privately. He had just gotten out from being pushed in the pool, so he was now in different clothes, hair damp, and eyes bloodshot red. He found Harry on the couch sipping on a glass of champagne, listening to Lottie go off about some makeup video she had watched, so he interrupted their conversation by sitting next to Harry and wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"Want to escape?"

"You ready to?" Harry asked back, lips curving into a secretive smile when Louis began to nod his head excitedly.

Harry was honestly ready to escape from the huge group of people in the house and spend some alone time with Louis. If anything, he could really go for a cuddle and lay down to sleep the slight buzz he was beginning to feel. But Louis had a better idea as he grabbed Harry's hand and yanked him out the house for some fresh air.

The two of them began walking down the sidewalk, hand in hand, with just the sounds of the night filling the air. Harry didn't really question where they were going or how long they were going to walk for, instead, he just enjoyed the moment of walking under the sunset with his hand in Louis'. It was a nice, unwinding moment for the two of them after dealing with the havoc going on inside Louis' home.

As it turned out, Louis had walked Harry all the way to an ice cream shop a few blocks over. Harry shook his head fondly when he looked at Louis giving him a cheeky smile. Louis opened the door for both of them, and they walked up to the cashier to give the worker their ice cream orders. Harry had gotten rocky road while Louis got the mint chocolate. Once both of their cones were filled with two scoops, they went outside to the patio seating and took a seat at one of the tables,

"We should've driven here," Harry suggested as he licked his ice cream, looking up at Louis and raising his eyebrows.

"Why?"

Harry licked his lips before he was giving Louis a smirk. He moved his foot under the table and ran it up and down Louis' shin until he was hooking his foot around Louis' ankle. "So we could have sex in the car."

"You're so horny," Louis teased playfully, rolling his eyes as he reached across the table to wipe some ice cream off of Harry's chin.

"Excuse me for wanting to get intimate with you," Harry complained with a pout, "We've hardly got any alone time today."

" _Intimate_?" Louis repeated with a grimace before a sudden burst of giggles made its way past his lips. "You wanted to get fucked by me. That's your intimacy."

"Louis!" Harry cried out, playfully slapping Louis' arm. "Don't say that so loud."

"We could always go behind the ice cream shop. There's an ally," Louis then suggested, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Harry shivered at the thought, twisting his face in disgust, "Hell, no. I'm not getting naked by a dumpster. Who knows what kind of rats and diseases are back there."

Their conversation was disrupted when they heard a big group of people heading towards the ice cream shop, obviously not minding how loud they were being to the people they were passing. Although, the closer the big group got to the shop, the more Harry started to recognize some of the voices, internally feeling his entire body tense up at who he thought was about to walk up to them. And sure enough, not even a minute later, Harry caught sight of who was in the group, especially the one leading them right to where they were sitting - Reid Anderson.

Harry had completely forgotten that all graduations were today, and their area was the ones hosting the commencement since they had a big recreational auditorium. And, well, West Point had just finished their graduation about half an hour ago, so it would be Harry's luck that the first place Reid and his friends wanted to go to was the same place Harry and Louis wanted to escape to. How ironic that the ice cream shop was also right down the road from the auditorium.

Reid's face immediately darkened when he caught sight of Harry and Louis sitting in one of the outdoor tables. He walked straight up to the both of them with a wicked smirk on his face while leaving his friends behind. Harry slumped back in his seat and tried watching Louis' face carefully, hoping and praying that Reid would just leave them alone for the night so their moment wouldn't be ruined. That wasn't the case, obviously.

"Well if it isn't the couple of the year," Reid greeted with a snarl. Harry rolled his eyes and looked up a Reid, cracking a small smile when he could still see the leftover bruise coating his jaw from when Stan punched. Reid ignored the look and turned to face Louis, who was staring back at him with an expressionless look on his face. "Must be nice to know the man that you're with now was the same one that was gagging for my cock all the time."

And here we go with it again, Harry thought with a grumble.

"Fuck off," Louis breathed out, trying to remain calm by focusing more on how tight he could clench his fist together rather than on how hard he could punch the other side of Reid's jaw. Harry rolled his eyes at the comment and tried to ignore Reid as well, more intent on keeping Louis relaxed than seeing him get angry. They really were having such a good day, too.

"What's the problem?" Reid continued with a bitter laugh. "Finally realize that the ass your fucking is the same one I did?"

"Reid, shut up," Harry then growled at him, slamming his fists down on the table, causing Louis to jump at the unexpected sound.

"Wow, he can use his mouth more ways than one."

Louis tensed up even more at those words, and Harry could see how hard he was trying to keep it together. However, it was pretty noticeable that Louis was growing angrier every second Reid continued to talk. His knuckles were turning white from how hard he was clenching his hands together, and his eyes were darkening from where they were zoning in on Reid's body through the reflection of the window.

The boys behind Reid - who Harry wasn't too stupid to realize were his old friends from West Point's football team- all laughed behind Reid before they were heading inside the ice cream shop. Instead of following them inside, Reid decided to stay right where he was and continue to annoy both of them. He seemed to easily notice his effect on Louis and only felt the need to fuel Louis' anger even more, always seeking some sort of reaction out of him.

"What's wrong, Louis? You're so quiet," Reid continued, pressing a hand to Louis' back and patting him harshly, "Did Harry's problem of not keeping his leg close finally get to you?"

That seemed to have been the final straw because Louis had abruptly pushed his chair back and stood up on his feet. He dropped his ice cream on the ground and turned to get right in Reid's face. Harry was anxiously frozen in his seat as he watched both of them carefully, not entirely sure what he should be doing, but staying on alert just in case.

"Fuck off," Louis grumbled, teeth gritting together, "If all you can do is find ways to talk shit about me and about Harry, then you really are a worthless piece of shit. Get over it, Reid. Harry doesn't want you, and he doesn't love you. No one ever can with how shitty of a person you are. And if you're still bitter over the fact that you lost not only the championship game, but all the awards as well, then maybe you should have just been fucking better at football. Grow the hell up Reid, or you're going to live with the fact that you're an immature asshole for the rest of your life."

Reid held Louis' gaze for a couple of minutes before he was backing away without another word. He decided to go inside and join his friends who were sat at a table in the ice cream shop already with their ice cream in their hands. Louis continued to stand in his spot while he continued glaring at the back of Reid's body through the shop's window as if he was making sure Reid didn't do anything stupid.

That's when Harry realized maybe he should do something.

Harry abruptly stood up from his seat, which caused Louis to jerk his head over at him. He looked at Harry confusedly when he began walking towards the door to the ice cream shop. Harry didn't say anything as he walked right inside the place. His eyes were now trained on the back of Reid's head as he walked upright behind where he was sat.

He tapped on Reid's shoulder to gain his attention, and all the guys around Reid widen their eyes when they looked up to see Harry. Reid, on the other hand, turned around with raised eyebrows, seemingly ready to make some sort of comment before Harry was slamming the ice cream straight in the middle of his face. He made sure the heel of his hand was digging right into Reid's nose and that ice cream was getting all over his eyes, obnoxiously rubbing his hand around to get every part of Reid's face covered in his Rocky Road.

Harry then pulled his hand back and watched the ice cream drip down from Reid's face, but before Reid could say or react to anything, Harry gripped to the top of his chair and yanked the seat back. Harry made sure that he slammed the back of the seat against the ground so Reid was forced to go with it. Reid ended up landing on the floor with a loud crash and with the rest of Harry's ice cream falling on his face.

Reid laid on the ground with a loud groan, clutching the back of his head while Harry bent down to crouch right by his face. "If you think about messing with us again, you'll have _me_ to deal with next time."

Harry stood back up and walked straight out the ice cream shop, not even chancing a glance back at the group to see Louis standing by the door with a shocked expression on his face. Harry gave him a weak smile before Louis seemed to snap back to reality, reaching for Harry's hand and pulling him straight towards his body.

"You're fucking amazing. I love you," He said right away, pressing quick kisses against Harry's mouth.

"I love you too," Harry giggled, biting his lip and wrapping his arms around Louis' neck.

"I can't believe you just did that," Louis continued, gripping Harry's hips harder, "That was hot."

"I just shoved ice cream in his face," Harry reminded, chewing on his bottom lip when he noticed Louis' eyes growing wider.

"You're amazing," Louis said again, breathlessly as he continued to yank Harry even closer so that their groins were now rubbing up together, "You sure you don't wanna fuck in the ally? I'm kind of horny _now_."

Harry rolled his eyes as he rested his forehead up against Louis', letting their noses rub softly up against one another's, "My house is the other way. Not that far. If you can make it."

Louis nodded his head right away and immediately dragged Harry to the direction of his house, ignoring the fact that he had a bunch of people in his own home in favor of getting some alone time with his boyfriend. And well, the night didn't turn out so bad after all. 

 

//


	12. Epilogue

So, Harry and Louis were officially graduated from North Bridge.

Not only were they done with school, but the two of them spent the entire summer either sun kissed under the sun at the beach or tangled naked in the sheets of their beds. It really was a summer of love with the two of them. They were constantly hip to hip wherever they went out, and they nearly spent every night cuddling each other to sleep.

The best part, though, was when Harry and Louis got to take a trip down to Leeds for the Leeds Festival. They spent the entire weekend listening to various artists while dancing with each other to the loud music that was playing. They got drunk, made out a lot, danced stupidly, had sex in a tent, and spent the entire time growing closer to one another.

They also managed to detangle themselves a few times throughout the summer to meet up with the lads. They were all planning to go to Manchester University together, so when it came time to start applying and preparing for the fall term, they met up and got everything ready together. They all went to visit the campus and look for places to live. They registered their classes together in hopes they could enroll in some of the same ones, and when it came to shopping for their new homes, they all went together to help pick things out.

Which, move in day had come quick. One minute, it was the beginning of the summer, the five of them spending their days in Harry's pool, and then the next, they were all packing up their moving vans and taking off towards the University.

The five of them ended up finding places in the same neighborhood, so they wouldn't be too far apart from one another. It was a neighborhood with a bunch of different colored townhouses where other students attending Manchester University were staying as well. So they picked a place where they didn't have to worry too much about being disruptive towards their neighbors considering they were all the same age.

Zayn and Liam lived in a dark gray townhouse, a two bedroom, two bathroom home. Niall lived in a dark purple one a few streets over, and he was paired with two other random people that he had not met yet. So his home was a three bedroom, three bathroom place. Now, Harry and Louis decided to live together, just a few houses over from Zayn and Liam's, the dark blue one that had two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

The decision for them to live together came about halfway through the summer, and it was something they had been getting a lot of feedback on. It wasn't like people were pitting them from living together or trying to convince them otherwise, but a lot of them were making sure it was something they really wanted to do. It was a big step for them as a couple to move in together, only being a few months into their relationship, but the two of them were set to do so.

Anne had warned them both one night, sitting them down at the kitchen table to give them one of her motherly talks. She had warned them that it was way too early in their relationship to make this move. Her suggestion was to let their relationship grow some more before spending every waking hour living with one another, but the talk wasn't enough to convince them otherwise.

Jay had about the same reaction as Anne, but she was more understanding of the fact that they were ready for this move. She could see the reasoning behind their decision to live together, and she ended up believing that the heart wanted what it wanted, and if the boy's heart wanted to take the next step in their relationship, then she wasn't going to stop them.

The lads were more worried about their actual relationship. It wasn't the fact that they were moving too fast or that it was too early in their relationship to live together. Their concerned lied with the fear of the two of them growing a distaste for one another from being together every day. It was different when Harry and Louis voluntarily wanted to spend the night with each other, but having to change it to where they were actually living together is completely different, and the lads were worried that Harry and Louis' fighting would increase and that the two of them would get tired of one another.

But still, nothing changed their mind. If anything, Louis was the most defensive over it. He was the one who had first convinced Harry to live with him, and then he went off and convinced everyone else that this was something he really wanted to do to make their relationship stronger. It was surprising for Harry to see how determined Louis was in coming up with valid reasoning for them to live together. It made Harry feel even more wanted and feel even more loved knowing Louis had desperately wanted them to live together. It was a nice feeling.

The townhouse all the lads were staying at came unfurnished, so when it was time for them to move in, they literally had to move all their stuff into the home. Thankfully, for Harry and Louis, Anne had a bunch of furniture from her old house that she put into storage, so they were able to take everything in order to fill their place up without having to spend too much money.

Harry and Louis were able to get all the main furniture inside the house before they were growing tired from the move. All they had left was a bunch of boxes filled with utilities, dishes, clothes, and some decor that they were not in desperate need of. So when the last heavy load of furniture entered their home, that being the fouton for the living room, they decided they wanted to have a break.

Harry had a pile of clothes he wanted to go ahead and grab since he planned on showering and changing his outfit from getting so sweaty with moving. He managed to drop that pile on top of the kitchen table before he was standing back up with a huff. He had sweat lining his forehead that he began to wipe off with the back of his hand, and as he was wiping that on his already sweaty t-shirt, he felt Louis' chest crowding his back.

Harry smiled to himself when Louis' arms snaked around his waist, hands sneaking underneath his shirt to rest his hands on Harry's belly. Louis then shifed his head around to bury it right into Harry's neck, trailing his lips all along the exposed skin before pressing a chaste kiss to the shell of Harry's ear. Harry closed his eyes at the feeling and felt his body slump back against Louis' chest, letting out a soft hum when Louis leaned a little further to press a kiss to the side of his jaw.

"Can we take a break now?" Louis questioned against Harry's ear, tightening his arms around Harry's middle and pressing quick kisses along the juncture of Harry's throat.

Harry opened his eyes, biting his lip as he turned around in Louis' arms. Louis gave Harry a pout in hopes Harry would give the answer he was wanting. Harry giggled under his breath at the look and wrapped his arms loosely around Louis' neck, twirling his fingers into the strands of Louis' hair and offering him a cheeky smile, slowly pushing Louis backwards until they were reaching the fouton in the living room.

"As in taking a nap?" Harry teased, dimple taking surface when his grin widened.

Louis rolled his eyes and ended up falling down on the couch. Harry was standing there in between Louis' legs with a smirk on his face before Louis' hands were reaching out for Harry's hips. Louis dragged Harry down on to his lap and kept him in place by firmly wrapping his arms around Harry's waist. Harry smiled as he placed his hands on Louis' shoulders, giggling when Louis' hands snuck down further until they were gripping his ass, yanking him forward until his and Louis' chest were pressing together.

"No, like other things," Louis implied, squeezing Harry's ass desperately. "Something more physical - with our bodies. Naked. Together."

"But you're tired," Harry argued with a playful pout, resting his knees on either side of Louis' hips.

Louis ignored Harry's comment and arched his body up to run his lips along Harry's neck again. Louis grazed his teeth along Harry's jawline before he was wrapping his lips around the skin, sucking gently until Harry could feel the beggining formation of a bruise growing. Harry's eyes closed at the sensation while his fingers dug deeper into Louis' shoulders. He felt his hips starting to subconsciously rock on top of Louis', trying to find some sort of friction to alleviate the tension he felt starting to strain in his pants.

"Or you can fuck me. That works, too," Harry the suggested with a moan, opening his mouth and dropping his head back when Louis' mouth moved to his collarbone.

Harry could feel Louis' lips curving into a smile against his skin as he continued to kiss the sides of Harry's neck. Harry then shifted his head around until his lips had found Louis', desperately needing Louis' taste on the tip of his tongue from a much needed kiss. Harry's hand moved to the sides of Louis' face to hold him in place as he pressed his lips further against Louis', his tongue licking its way into Louis' mouth until he could taste every trace of Louis that he was craving. Louis' hips began rutting up into Harry's while Harry's was rocking his back and forth. From the way Harry was sitting, his ass resting so pertly on top of Louis' lap, he could feel the way Louis' cock was fattening up underneath him and twitching with interest any time Harry jerked his hips a certain way.

Louis hands moved from Harry's hips to underneath his shirt, running his hands up and down the expanse of Harry's heated skin before he was pulling Harry's shirt off. Harry detached from the kiss briefly, hair falling in his face as he tossed his shirt over his head. He then quickly leaned forward to press a few more kisses against Louis' mouth until his desperate hands were nearly ripping the shirt off Louis' shoulders, soon having to completely step off of Louis so they could take their pants off.

Once Harry yanked his jeans off his body and tossed his boxers in a random direction, he quickly walked over to his bag to pull out his  _emergency_ condom and bottle of lube. Considering he and Louis were very sexually active, Harry had to always be prepared for whe the time came, and well, it was the time.

Harry tossed both items on the couch next to Louis and sat back down on his lap, bare ass rubbing against his thighs and getting very close to his very desperate cock. Harry's lips found their way back to Louis' and continued to lick his way inside Louis' mouth, his fingers digging into the back of Louis' head when he felt Louis shifting them around so he had good access to touch Harry.

Louis' hand reached out for the bottle of lube that was next to his body. He sat it firmly in between him and Harry before he was gripping Harry's hips to help raise him on his knees. When Harry was in the position Louis needed him to be, he kept one hand on Harry's waist while the other one got coated with lube. Louis was breathing slowly out his nose as he continued to tangle his tongue with Harry's, slowly pushing the first finger into Harry's hole and feeling Harry tense up almost immediately.

Harry's body jerked at the intrusion, clutching harder on to Louis back and pulling his face away from Louis to let out a desperate moan. He let his lips hover over Louis' as Louis continued to press more fingers inside of him, causing Harry to push his body back to get more from the feeling of Louis' fingers in him. Harry was breathing heavily into Louis' mouth, hair framing his face and covering his eyes, legs beginning to shake the longer he tried holding himself up for Louis, desperately rocking his body more when Louis' fingers started to curl inside of him, nudging up against the spot that he so needily wanted Louis to hit.

The angle was tight, and it was sending a sharp shiver down Harry's spine every time Louis' fingers widened inside of him. It was getting to the point where Harry was completely withering and in need of something more to push him over the edge. He felt stretched enough, his thighs were burning, nails digging into Louis' shoulders, barely able to see because his hair was in the way, and it was about the time Harry desperately needed Louis' cock instead of his fingers.

Harry began rapdily tapping Louis' shoulder to get him to stop fingering him, pulling his face back completely and letting out a breathless plea for him to do something else. Louis gently pulled his fingers out with a small smile on his lips, using his free hand to push back some of the hair framing Harry's face. Like this, Louis could see every expression on Harry's face, and he wanted to make sure he watched every twitch in Harry's features when he finally nudged his cock inside of Harry.

Louis quickly rubbed some excess lube around Harry's ass and covered himself in a condom. Harry was back to rising up on his knees again so there was an easier access for Louis to actually get inside of Harry, and Harry was desperate enough to reach behind his body to grab Louis' achingly hard dick in his hand, chewing on his bottom lip as he started to guide Louis towards the opening of his ass.

Harry felt just the head of Louis' cock nudging him open when he started to clench his eyes shut. His hands went back to Louis' shoulder and began gripping him tightly as he started to slowly lower his body back on to Louis' lap. Louis watched carefully as Harry bit back his moan, trying to supress the euphoric feeling growing inside of him from simply sitting down on Louis' cock. Once he was finally lowered all the way, until his ass was planted in Louis' lap, that was when the breathy moan finally escaped Harry, causing him to clench his legs tighter against Louis' hips and jerking his body just a little when he felt Louis nudging up right against his spot.

"Fucking, shit," Louis whined, staring at Harry until he finally opened his eyes, blinking a few times until he was finally able to see Louis clearly.

Harry blushed when he realized Louis had been watching him the whole time, feeling slightly modest and like he was in full view of Louis. Because well - he was. Louis was admiring every feature of Harry's body and touching every part of Harry he could get his hands on, leaving soft kisses along his skin and caressing his hips in a gentle way as if he couldn't believe Harry was real himself. It took every ounce of Harry to not just pounce on Louis, he'd give anything right now to be fucked into the cushions of the couch, but the sudden urge to kiss Louis was more powerful than Harry's dirty needs, so Harry leaned himself forward and pressed his lips up against Louis'.

It was the perfect start for him to begin rolling his hips around, wanting Louis to feel every part of him before he was rising up on his knees again. Harry kept going until he felt just the tip of Louis' cock inside of him, and that was when he pressed his lips harder against Louis' while lowering himself back down with more force. Louis let out a grunt when Harry started doing that repeatedly, bouncing in a sloppy and quick manner to really feel Louis' cock pressing against all the walls inside his ass. It had Louis kissing down every moan that transferred from Harry's mouth to his, feeling Harry's fingers curl tighter in his hair while his own hands gripped Harry's hips harder to help control his movements.

Louis continued to lick his way into Harry's mouth and suck down any pleas he was trying to make, instead, taking initiative himself and thrusting his hips up into Harry, snapping harder and harder everytime to the point where the sound of their slick skins making contact was overpowering the music of their heavy breathing. Harry had to pull his head back from Louis to let out a cry, looking up at the ceiling and letting his body go limp so Louis could continue fucking up into him. It had Harry seeing stars, using his grip on Louis to keep him in check with reality as he felt his body get closer and closer to his release.

"Fuck, Louis," Harry cried, biting his lip and closing his eyes when Louis' hips snapped up faster.

Harry's back started to arch at the feeling, and he dropped his head back while letting his body enjoy the ride. Louis' fingers dug deeper into Harry's hips as he continued to thrust, angling just a little bit forward so he could press his lips along Harry's long and exposed neck. He began painting his mouth all over Harry's skin, too eager to leave his lips in one place long enough for a mark and preferring to taste the flavor of Harry on the tip of his tongue.

"You're perfect," Louis breathed out, trailing his lips up until he licked along Harry's jawline, smirking when Harry shivered. "Feel so good, too."

Harry whined when Louis' tongue lapped his skin and then his lips, feeling it slowly start to enter his mouth before he was eagerly sucking it in. He went back to kissing Louis desperately and sloppily, letting his pliant body fall against Louis' as he let Louis take full control over him. Louis shifted his arms so they were completely wrapped around Harry's back, holding his body in closer as he finished off with a few more thrust before he was shifting them around.

He carefully rolled them over so he could lay Harry down on the couch, seeing how easily Harry was giving in to him. Louis slotted himself perfectly between Harry's legs and continued to snap his hips at a new angle, now being able to lace his hands with Harry and pin them above his head. Harry practically mewled and let himself sink further into the cushion of the couch, keeping his legs wrapped around Louis' waist and holding on tightly as Louis went harder and impossibly faster.

It barely took minutes after that before Harry was caving his back and whining out Louis' name, toes curling as he spilt between the two of them. It was as if that took all the energy Harry needed to keep himself afloat, because the minute he reached his high, he could feel his body turning into jello. His smile turned dopey as he blinked up at Louis, loosing the tight grip he once had in Louis' hand and letting himself go completely lax under Louis' hold.

Louis started to press kisses all over Harry's face while squeezing his hands tighter against Harry's. He only needed a few more thrust until he felt his body stilling with the cry of Harry's name rolling off his tongue. However, Louis had managed to keep himself relaxed after he hit his high, and he manage to pull himself out of Harry slowly, continuing to mumble against Harry's ear as he started to wedge his way between Harry and the cushion of the fouton.

It took a couple minutes until their breathing started to level out normally. Louis had his arms wrapped around Harry and brushing his hair out of his face until he saw the signs that Harry was fully down from his high. He blinked a couple of times until he registered Louis' face above his, and when the two of them actually made eye contact with one another, a clear sign to Louis that Harry was back, Harry offered a sleepy smile.

"I think I'm ready for that nap now," Harry teased, rolling on to his side to bury his head in Louis' chest, cuddling himself close and squeezing in tightly.

Louis smiled down at Harry and pressed a kiss to his hair, running his hands up and down the expanse of Harry's back before settling them at the dip of his spine. "Might want to get dressed, though. Niall should be coming over soon."

"I don't want to move," Harry whined.

Louis giggled under his breath, trying to slowly pull his body back so Harry would be forced to look up at him instead of cuddle him. "Baby, I don't fancy Niall seeing you so naked. I promise we'll have all the time in the world to cuddle, but he did warn us he was coming by to help us finish unpacking."

Harry let out a dramatic groan, but he reluctantly got up from the couch. He got on his feet and stood in front of Louis with such a childish pout on his face that it Louis giggling at him, but that was also when Harry noticed he still had his come all over his stomach. He felt some of it start to drip down his body, and he grimaced at the feeling, looking at his belly and letting out a groan.

"This is disgusting," Harry complained, reaching for the closest thing for him to wipe the stuff off his stomach, which happened to be the shirt he was wearing earlier.

Louis snorted as he stood up, walking up to Harry and grabbing the shirt from his hands, wiping Harry clean himself. "Just imagine if I didn't have a condom on. The mess would be much worse," he teased.

"Oh, I have imagined it," Harry smirked, giving Louis a wink whenever his eyebrows shot up.

Harry giggled as he quickly leaned in to kiss Louis on the cheek. He then happily skipped across the room until he was at the dining table where some of his clothes were tossed. Since Louis had everything in his car, he ended up throwing Louis a pair of joggers and a loose t shirt. Harry put on something similar before he was tying his hair up in a bun, trying his best to wash the sex off his body by splashing water on his face.

Louis, on the other hand, didn't even bother to fix his messy and sweaty hair. Instead, he walked to the front door an opened it when he heard Niall knocking. Harry was walking back into the living room when he caught sight of Louis and Niall entering as well. Almost immediately, Niall grimaced, curling his nose up as if he was smelling the air.

"I smell and see sex," was Niall's greeting.

Harry stood there with a frown as he surveyed the room, eyes going straight to where his and Louis' clothes were tossed all over the ground with his come stained shirt resting so noticeably on the back of the couch. Harry sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and rolled his eyes, immediately flicking the shirt on to the ground with a quick smile in Niall's direction. Niall covered his mouth in response to hide the laugh he tried to hold back, and Harry was walking over to the love seat trying his best not to show how annoyed he was that Niall was even there in the first place. They both failed miserably with their attempts.

"Well, Welcome," Louis sighed, scratching the back of his neck as he began walking over towards where Harry was sat.

"So you two had sex?" Niall questioned so casually, as if this was a normal conversation for them to be having. He didn't even look concerned or disgusted, seemingly more interested in knowing about their personal lives just for pure entertainment.

Harry refused to answer or look Niall's way, instead, he reached for the pillow behind his back and clutched it to his chest. He found more interest in pulling the string that was detaching from seams, feeling his cheeks heat up just a little from how intrusive Niall was being - honestly, how he always was.

Louis joined Harry in the arm chair and squeezed himself to fit. He wrapped his arm around Harry and pulled him in tight against his side in attempts to give him the post sex cuddle Harry always craved. It wasn't much, but it had Harry finally cracking a smile with his body easing into Louis'. He rested his head on Louis' chest and wrapped his arms loosely around his middle. He then finally shifted his eyes to Niall who was heading straight for the couch to sit on, and instead of actually saying anything, Harry internally grimaced.

"I wouldn't sit on the couch," Louis spoke up right when Niall's ass was hovering over the cushion, obviously ready to sit down.

Niall blew air out his lips and stood back up, eyeballing Harry when he noticed the smile on his face before he caught sight of a stain on one of the cushions, now focused on that. "Well, you better clean this then because I see jizz right there."

Harry's face flushed red, and he immediately buried his head into Louis' chest. He knew that was his jizz, he knew that Louis knew that it was his jizz. What he didn't want was for Niall to know because this whole situation was already embarassing enough, and all Harry wanted to do was lye naked with Louis in their bed, but apparently, Niall had insisted on coming over - and well, here they were, being interrogated by him.

"You're real observant, mate," Louis rolled his eyes.

"It's not my fault you couldn't wait to fuck until after I came over," Niall reminded sassily, tilting his head to the side. "Are we going to finish unpacking or am I just gonna have to stand here and watch the two of you be gross still?"

Louis rolled his eyes, but he did get up, sadly having to detangle himself from Harry. Niall nodded his head approvingly and turned to head out the door, but Louis was hot on his trail and ended up jumping on his back. Harry giggled at the two of them as they started to push each other around and act like the children they secretly were, but he knew he had to get up as well and finish unpacking his house.

So with much resistance from himself, Harry finally got off the couch and followed behind them.

It only took about an hour to get all the boxes from the car to inside their house. The most they wanted to do was match the labelled boxes to the rooms they were for, unpack a few important necessities they would need that night, and then be done with moving for the day. Once they finished, they headed back into the living room to take seats on the arm chairs.

Harry and Louis cuddled right back up on the love seat they shared earlier before they had to finish unpacking. Niall took the one opposite of them and began drinking the beer that Louis had offered him as a thanks for the little help he provided them. Harry was now more than happy to finally be sitting and getting the good cuddle that he wanted, knowing very well that he didn't have to get up for anything for at least the next hour or so.

"Is Zayn and Liam all moved in?" Louis questioned once the three of them were all settled, his fingers idly dancing across Harry's arms.

"Yeah, I was there before I came over here," Niall replied, taking a gulp of his beer before he was letting out a contentful sigh and admiring the room they were in.

There wasn't much other than the tv, the couches and the coffee tables. None of the decorations had been put up on the walls, and the windows were completely exposed to the outside. Curtains was something they needed to get so they could cover their windows at night or block the sun whenever it became a nuisance. Maybe some outdoor furniture would be nice too considering they had a small back yard big enough to fit a good group of people for a grill out.

Niall continued to look all around the room until his eyes finally settled back on Louis and Harry. He watched the two of them carefully as they began whispering stuff to one another, Harry giggling at something Louis said and Louis smiling at Harry's giggles. The two of them looked comfortable together and seemed to already enjoy living together, even if they had just moved in, but Niall was still genuinely concerned and wanted to know for sure this was something good for the two of them.

"So, the two of you are positive about living togehter?" He had to ask after spending minutes observing them fond over each other, already knowing the answer he was going to get, but still feeling like he needed reassurance.

"Of course," Harry finally spoke since Niall had arrived, even offering him a smile when Niall looked back at him. "I mean, why not? Zayn and Liam moved in together, and it's not like anyone is questioning them."

Niall tilted his head to the side, seeing Harry's point, but, no. "Well, they've been together for about four years, so it _is_ a little different," he reminded. "You two recently became a couple like four months ago."

"Look," Louis then sighed, straightening up the best he could in his spot with Harry's body lying nearly completely over him. "I love Harry, and he loves me," Louis began, already knowing he was going into full defense mode again. "I'm kind of in this for the long haul, and I don't really want to be with anyone else. Us living together and making it through the next four years together is really just me trying to prove to Harry that he is the one for me. Date to marry, Niall."

And it never got easier for Harry to hear Louis explain why he wanted them to live together. Every time, his heart swooned, and he felt as if he was falling in love all over again.

The first time Louis had explained it to him, when he was first trying to convince Harry, he was so beyond speechless that he couldn't say a word for an hour. All Harry really could do was kiss Louis until he hoped that Louis understood how much those words meant to him. It was the best way for Harry to express how much he truly loved Louis and how much he appreciated Louis for taking their relationship so seriously considering what they've been through.

Louis was genuine. He really was courting Harry in all the possible ways, and he was using them living together as an ultimate seal. Louis had mentioned to Harry that if they were able to live together for these next four years while managing a job and juggling school, then they should be able to make it through the rest of their lives together.

Four years was what Louis had told Harry originally. In four years, if they make it out alive from living together, then Louis would ask Harry to marry him because by then, he would more than certain. And it just proved to Harry that Louis was fully committed to the two of them since he was already talking about marriage so early on in their relationship, and, of course, it had Harry sent into a romantic frenzy because well - Louis had basically admitted his intentions with Harry were forever, that he saw himself marrying Harry.

It was a thought that would always be on Harry's mind, and ever since that confession, he had truly felt like he had been floating on cloud nine.

"Plus, it's a two bedroom place," Louis then added, a little more jokingly, "If we fight or break up, we'll just sleep in separate rooms."

"So you'll still live together if you two break up?" Niall then asked, smiling at the game they were suddenly playing. "You would be okay if Harry ever brought somebody home into his own bedroom?"

"Hell, no," Louis defensively said, squeezing Harry closer to his body and making Harry giggle under his breath. "I'd beat the bloke's ass and make sure Harry knew that he wasn't allowed to move on. Either be alone forever, or be miserable with me. It's a bargain."

"It's a really romantic thought," Harry teased with a roll of his eyes.

"You two are something else," Niall laughed under his breath, shaking his head fondly. "But if it means anything at all, I do hope you two make it. I'm really rooting for all my best friends to be together - and to get married to each other - and to fuck each other."

"Do we need to add another member to our group to make you feel better?" Harry then joked, biting his lip when Niall twisted his lips to the side as if he was truly considering it. "It must suck being the fifth wheel."

"Oh, to hell with you," Niall then laughed loudly, "Let's finish these boxes while you have me because I know you two will be lazy and put it off for weeks. But, I don't have all day considering you lot owe me drinks for the night. So we better get to it."

"Why can't Zayn and Leema help?" Louis then complained as he began sitting up from the love seat.

"They're doing what you two just finished doing," Niall replied with a smirk, "They were smart enough to wait for it."

Harry rolled his eyes at the comment, but he let himself be pulled up from the couch. He really thought he was in the clear to be lazy with Louis for the next few hours until they met for drinks, but now he was having to do more work than he really wanted to. He was tired, needed a shower, his legs were a little wobbly, and he needed Louis arms around him - all of which he could probably thank sex for.

But just like earlier, Harry bit his tongue and followed Niall and Louis into the kitchen where they tackled those boxes first. They spent the next few hours going through all the rooms in the house to make sure that everythig was completely unpacked and stored where they needed to go. The one thing they were going to skip was the decorations, that really wasn't something Harry wanted to deal with at the moment.

All Harry cared about was gettting these boxes unpacked so Niall could leave him and Louis alone. It may have been selfish for him to think that and to secretly find Niall annoying at the moment, but he really did appreciate the help offered because otherwise, the unpacking would have taken them days. Plus, it really was only half an hour before everything was finished, so Harry really couldn't complain too much.

Niall had left once all the boxes had been broken down and thrown in the dumpster. They still had a couple more hours until they wanted to meet for drinks, so Niall was going back to his house to take a nap. Harry and Louis, on the other hand, walked back to the fouton and plopped down on the cushions. They managed to spend a good portion of their time scrubbing some of their sex stains out of the fabric, not like they really cared that much, but they knew if people would come over some days that they couldn't just leave the remnants of their sex so noticeable.

Louis' eyes shut the minute he slumped his body into the cushions of the couch. The weight of the day was finally setting in on him, and exhaustion was starting to wash over. He could feel where Harry was sitting down right next to him before Harry was wedging his body underneath Louis' arm. Louis smiled to himself as he wrapped his arm around Harry's neck, pulling him into his side and opening his eyes so he could look down at Harry.

"So, you really want to make this work?" Harry asked, biting his lip nervously when Louis' features softened.

"I really do," Louis whispered, his other hand coming around to grab on to Harry's, resting them both on his belly now. "I feel like we've been through too much shit together to just have it not work out in the end. We've pushed through the struggle before, and I believe we can push through the struggles that inevitably come."

"Yeah, but you're talking about marriage," Harry reminded breathlessly, lips quirking up at the thought, feeling a wave of butterflies rush to his stomach. "You could really see yourself marrying me?"

That was the moment when Harry realized how far they had come together, how much their relationship really has grown and developed over the past few months. It was just barely a year ago when Harry first bumped into Louis in the hallways of North Bridge, having been Reid's boyfriend at the time and having so much hatred for the other boy. It was crazy to think about how much had changed in such a short amount of time all because Harry went to a new school.

Because before there was Harry and Louis, there was Harry and Reid. Harry really remembered a time when Louis Tomlinson was just a name that got passed around with much hatred. He didn't even know Louis at one point nor had even met him, never really gave much thought about him unless it was Reid talking mess about him. But it was amazing and so unexpected that at one point in Harry's life, Louis meant nothing to him, and then all of a sudden, Louis meant everything to him.

Louis was the greatest love Harry had ever experienced, and he never really expected him and Louis to get to this point of their relationship. He remembered many times throughout that long, traitorous year thinking they wouldn't make it. Often times, doubting Louis' intentions and really considering giving up on him fully. Their relationship started off strictly based on sex, an acquaintance with benefits sort of thing, so Harry never intended himself to actually fall for Louis.

Harry didn't exactly know when he first crossed that line in wanting more with Louis, but he had crossed it a long time ago. He didn't know if it was as early as when they first kissed each other or when Louis came over for the barbecue - Or better yet, it could have been the moment when Harry went to the first football game of the season and saw Louis' true self, the one that loved his family and adored his sisters so much. The one that took time out of his day to work at the mall in order to help his mother pay some bills. Harry believed it was in that moment when he fell completely in love with Louis.

It had been a constant struggle to get to this point in their relationship, but they were finally there. Louis loved Harry unconditionally, and he reminded Harry constantly that this love would further into marriage. And it was still so crazy for Harry knowing that the Louis who first resisted his feelings for him was now the same Louis claiming he could see himself proposing to him. So, yeah, Harry was really glad he did switch schools.

"I see my whole future with you, honestly," Louis admitted after a short pause, feeling his smile start to widen when Harry looked up at him as if he hung the stars and the moon for him. Louis probably did, and Harry would believe it. "I think about it all the time," he then added shamelessly.

"Really?" Harry breathed out, nibbling on his bottom lip when Louis nodded his head. "What exactly have you thought about then?"

Louis shook his head fondly, giggling softly when he noticed the goofy grin making its way on Harry's face, the one that had his dimples popping up on his cheeks. Louis knew what game Harry was playing at. It was one he constantly did just to get Louis to say all these amazing things about him, and Louis never failed when he played. He always said the right thing, and he always said what was from his heart.

"Well, I've thought about our wedding, and who I would make my best man. I would prefer an outdoor one, maybe in the fall since that was the time our relationship started," Louis began, making Harry's heart beat faster. "I see ourselves designing our own home because fuck purchasing a model home. Me and you are building that dream house together that can hold all the little babies we want to adopt, and I would make sure we had the grandest bedroom for the two of us and a giant ass kitchen for your tiny chef heart."

Harry was breathless by the time Louis was done, staring up at him as if he was made of gold now. And well, Harry was genuinely starting to believe that he was because Louis' heart was so pure to him that it almost seemed so surreal. He almost felt himself get emotional and felt the need to cry, but he pushed it aside to instead kiss Louis.

"I love you," Harry smiled, rubbing his nose against Louis' and keeping his face barely a centimeter away from Louis'

"I love you, too," Louis replied in a whisper, pressing another kiss to Harry's lips. He then let go of Harry's hand and detangled himself from Harry's body. He stood up from the couch and took a few steps back as he pointed towards the bedroom. "I'm probably going to shower and take a nap now. We have a little bit of time before we meet at the pub."

Harry watched Louis take a couple of steps towards their bedroom before he was scooting on the edge of the cushion and calling out a desperate, "Wait."

Louis stopped walking about halfway and turned to look at Harry, raising his eyebrow expectedly to see what Harry wanted. However, when their eyes made contact with each other, Harry's face was immediately flushing pink. He let out a nervous laugh and dug his fingers into the meat of the cushion, awkwardly looking around the room before settling his eyes back on Louis, quirking his lips up in a cheeky smile.

"So when can I expect a ring?" Harry muttered out quickly, biting his lip and giggling when Louis' eyes widen.

"What? Louis swallowed, feeling his throat go a little dry.

"The proposal" Harry continued to push, finding amusement in the fact that Louis looked completely stumped and speechless at the question. Harry really wasn't that desperate to know, he simply wanted to see the reaction on Louis face if he bugged him a good amount on it. And well, Harry was quite enjoying himself right now.

"I'm getting a fat diamond ring, right?" Harry continued to pester, giggling under his breath before adding, "It should be within the next few years, too, right? Do you know how you're going to propose and when?"

Louis raised his eyebrows at the influx of questions from Harry before he was rolling his eyes and letting out a groan. He omitted to answer any of those questions and instead turned on his heels to rush into the bedroom. Harry started giggling as he watched Louis disappear into the bedroom to avoid any more interrogation from Harry, purposely shutting the door loudly behind him to ensure Harry that he would know nothing of the sorts

And, well, Harry guessed that the only thing standing in the way from getting his answers to all those questions was the _Closed Door_ separating Louis from Harry. And so maybe Harry just needed to open that _damn door_ himself to get the answers that he wanted, but maybe, that was something he could save for another day when the time was right.

 


	13. Bonus Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ** Time Lapse ** = 4 Years

** 4 Years Later. **

It was a constant struggle trying to plan something so big, especially when it was meant to be kept a secret. However, Harry never made it easy. Once the conversation was brought up just _once_ , it seemed like it was the only thing that was worth talking about these days.

It was first supposed to be a joke just to mess with Louis, but then Harry was growing restless and desperate as time continued on. It was like he woke up one day, and some switch was flipped inside of him. It was almost to the point where every single night he would ask Louis when it would happen, or he would come up with all these hopeless reasonings as to why it needed to happen _now_. Harry would drop hints on a daily, starting off as something cute and something that would make Louis laugh, but then it grew annoying, turning their conversations into heated arguments.

All the hints were tiresome, and Louis tried his best to ignore them. He wondered when this desperate plea from Harry even started. They were fine up until the end of last year, when the jokes turned into something more serious - when Harry started showing more signs of stress and anxiety over it. Louis didn't know what it was that triggered Harry going into this crazy and insecure mode of his, but there was something there that Louis didn't understand.

They've talked about it before - right when they moved into their house was when it officially happened. Louis gave the deadline, he gave the time frame for Harry, but not even half a year before it started to get closer to that given time frame, Harry continuously kept bringing it up. It was almost a cry every time Harry questioned Louis about it, needing to know _when,_ needing to know if Louis was still committed to him or not.

Which was a crazy accusation in the first place, Louis didn't think he had done anything in the last four years to show that he wasn't committed to Harry anymore. All that he started to do was remain quiet when the topic was brought up by Harry, knowing very well that it would lead to an argument and ruin the whole situation that he had been _trying_ to plan for.

"Kicked out the house again?" Zayn teased when he walked up to the bar top, giving a cheeky smile in Louis direction when he looked up with a scowl. Zayn eased his approach by holding up two pints of beer as his greeting gift, setting one down in front of Louis before taking the seat across from him at the table.

The two of them met up at a local pub right across the street from where they lived. The other three boys were planning to meet up with them as well, but Louis and Zayn were able to get there early since they were done with classes for the day. Plus, Zayn had been trying to get to Louis alone so he could talk to him.

It was obvious within their group that Harry and Louis were going through another rough patch. Most often than not, throughout the four years they've lived together, their rough patches typically ended up with Harry _trying_ to kick Louis out the house, even on some occasions begging the other lads to drag his ass out. The attempt was always there, a strong effort on Harry's end, but the majority of the time, Louis stubbornly refused to leave. There was only a handful of times when Louis did have to actually leave the house because he was too angry himself, so Zayn did have a valid reason for asking the question.

"I guess, but he'll get over it," Louis stated nonchalantly, taking a sip from his beer. "This isn't the first time he has tried to break up with me."

"What does that even mean? How does he _try_ to break up with you?" Zayn questioned, hiding his laugh behind a sip of his beer.

"There's come plenty of times in our relationship that he wanted to call it quits, and I would be lying if I say I didn't feel the same at times, too," Louis began to explain, blowing air out his lips and dropping his hands on top of the table, twirling his fingers together before tapping them against his glass. "In the past it was because of petty shit, stupid arguments - things that tested our trust in one another, but recently, it's been different. He doesn't think I'm as committed to him as I used to be."

"Well," Zayn trailed off, raising his eyebrow when Louis looked over at him, "How does he try to break up with you though? That's kind of an odd thing to say."

Louis let out a small laugh and took a quick sip of his beer. He set the glass back down on the table and leaned back in his chair with a cheeky smile, crossing his arms over his chest and shrugging carelessly, "He always goes to the ' _how about we just fucking break up then_ ' at the end of some of our arguments, and I tell him no. Or he'll like - he'll tell me to go away, and I refuse. Because hell no, we are not breaking up over stupid shit."

"You two really are something else," Zayn shook his head, laughing gently to himself. "I knew he would succeed in kicking you out at times, but I also never knew there were times you two almost broke up."

"I mean the one time we actually managed to break up for a week, he still ended up coming back to me," Louis remembered fondly, smiling to himself at the memory.

It was an odd thing for him to be reminiscing about, but he really did find pure amusement in that whole situation, of course, now he did, back then he didn't. He was furious. But, it happened about two years into their relationship, and things were getting testy between the both of them. Louis turned into a jealous freak whenever Harry made friends with one of his nursing classmates, who had an apparent crush on him.

Harry was oblivious to the whole thing, obviously, but Louis could see right through that guy. His name was Dan, and he had the soft exterior of a kind man, but on the inside, he was completely ruthless. He tried his best to pit Harry and Louis against each other nearly every day for a full month, feeding Harry all these non sensible things in his mind that made Louis out to be the bad guy.

But then on the other end, he would make Louis believe that he and Harry actually had something going on. He would hold Harry late, night after night, so that the time he spent with Louis minimized. He ignited so many arguments between the couple that their trust for each other was starting to waiver, and then it eventually came to the point where the both of them _agreed_ to the break up. Harry hated how Louis was acting paranoid and jealous, not trusting Harry, and Louis hated how Harry constantly chose to spend nights with Dan over spending nights with him.

It all came back to slap Harry in the face once word got out that him and Louis broke up. Because Harry didn't instantly tell Dan when it happened, too upset to actually come to the reality of it. However, it happened one night after a test, the two of them went out with a couple other nursing students to enjoy a proper night of getting drunk. It was then in the wee hours of the night, both of them obviously drunk, when Dan tried to make his move, pressuring himself into Harry's space and wanting Harry to do something he wasn't comfortable with doing.

So, Harry ran away from him. He ran all the way back to Louis and broke down crying in his arms - one of the few instances where Harry admitted his own defeat and told Louis he was right.

"That's how I know these breakup threats are just out of temporary anger," Louis added on. "Especially now, he's just desperate for a ring."

"Tell me about it," Zayn groaned. He set his beer back on the table and leaned back in the seat he was in, running his fingers through his hair with a sigh. "He complains to us all the time, mate. It's been getting really bad though these past couple of months. I'm not sure what's really going on, but he's at the point where he doesn't know where your head is at anymore."

Louis let out a hum in response and brought his beer up to his mouth. He took a couple of sips and idly looked around the bar area, noticing it was pretty empty going into a Friday evening, before he was looking back up at Zayn. "Are the others coming?" he decided to ask instead, not really interested in continuing the conversation anymore, hoping this was a good enough change in subject for them.

"Li said he's picking Niall up after their physics test," Zayn informed, soon raising his eyebrow. "What about Harry, is he coming?"

Louis let out a grunt because he should have known that Zayn would ask the inevitable. He reached for his glass and took some larger gulps of his beer before he was setting it back down, leaning his elbow on the table and rubbing the stubble on his jaw. "Yeah, he is," Louis sighed breathlessly, trying to avoid Zayn's inquisitive eyes. "I just know Harry has been stressed with all of our fighting lately, and then he has his qualification nursing test in a few months, so he's stressed with that, too - and, I don't know. It's been a little weird between us."

"Maybe it's because he's waiting for a ring," Zayn had added with a wink, just because he knew the comment would bother Louis. It did, and it earned Zayn a kick in the shin.

Louis was thankfully able to avoid furthering this conversation when he heard Liam and Niall making their way into the bar. Louis immediately jumped up from the table and left Zayn there to go give each lad a hug, sighing in relief that he was able to prevent another conversation about him proposing from happening. Zayn rolled his eyes at Louis, but he soon smiled when Liam came to take the seat next to him.

Zayn was then distracted from a kiss by Liam and turned his focus to him rather than on Louis. Niall sat down at the other end of the square top table and was already flagging down a waiter to come take their drink orders. The seat next to Louis was still open for Harry, intended for him whenever he showed up and was finished with his clinical hours for the day.

"So," Liam drew out when he pulled back from Zayn, eyeing Louis' face for a moment before his lips quirked in a smirk. Zayn started giggling beside of him, trying to hide it by covering his mouth while Louis rolled his eyes at the both of them. "Have you and Harry had sex in awhile?"Liam bluntly asked.

Niall barked out a laugh when Louis choked on his drink, spitting some of it back up and getting it all over his chin. Louis quickly set his glass on the table and reached for a napkin, cleaning his face off before he was staring wide eyed back at Liam. " _Eh,_ what?"

"Sex, you and Harry?"

Louis fish mouthed for a second, trying to find a way to answer, but a gaping sound is what came out. He turned his eyes over to Zayn to see if he had any reasoning behind Liam's question, but he was laughing life a fool in his seat, not being much help for him. So then Louis turned to Niall to see what he had to say, but he was looking equally as interested in the answer as Liam was.

"I suppose not recently, no," Louis finally answered slowly, running his fingers through his hair before running them down the side of his face.

"I think you two need to fuck," Liam continued on, grabbing the drink menu and casually reading the listings, acting as if he didn't just ask and suggest such a invasive thing. Well, okay then. 

Louis blinked again, licking his lips. "Thanks for the relationship advice."

They had paused their conversation when the waiter stopped by to get Niall and Liam's order. Louis was thankful enough that the two were now distracted choosing what drinks they wanted while he buried his face in his own drink. He could only hope though that once the waiter left them alone, that they would drop the conversation. Except, that wasn't what happened at all.

"Liam, where did you even get this idea from?" Zayn then asked once they were left alone, causing Louis to let out a loud, purposely known groan when their conversation decided to continue on.

"I'm just saying, Harry has been so frustrated and stressed out lately. He really needs some good dicking to calm him down," was Liam's reasoning, which earned him more blank stares from Louis and an even louder laugh from Niall. "I listen to it a lot, Lou. It's not just school that is dragging him down," Liam added in a more serious tone, leaning forward so he could really try to get Louis to listen.

"He tries to keep himself collected in front of everyone, but I can get him to open up to me," Liam explained some more, noticing Louis drop his eyes down to the table top. "The other day he was crying to me on the phone about the two of you. I don't know what's been going on, man, but Harry is close to cracking. He thinks you're not into him anymore."

Louis twisted his lips to the side and continued to stare down at the table, really zoning in on a chipped piece at the corner of the table. His hands were wrapped around his pint of beer, giving him something to grip on to, soon idly tapping his finger against the glass in an anxious manner. He didn't really know what to say or how to react to that confession. Even from his peripheral, he could see Zayn tensing up at the comment and Niall burying his face in his glass of beer.

Because well, none of that was Louis' intention, ever. He never wanted Harry to have any doubt in their relationship, and he really felt like he hadn't done anything worth Harry questioning him. Louis still did everything he could to spend time with Harry, even on some of their worst weeks. They would stay up late and share a galloon ice cream together, or they would spend their mornings at the dining table eating their breakfast together.

It wasn't like Louis was distancing himself or staying out late to cause suspicion to surface. He wasn't trying to avoid Harry either. In fact, Louis reminded Harry all the time that he loved him, so it wasn't like he was lacking any affection. The only concerning thing he would say he had been doing was avoiding the topic about marriage. Every time the conversation came up about the proposal or if they were going to have a future together, Louis would go radio silent. Which, _okay_ , Louis could see the misjudgment in that.

But, all this sudden stress Harry was feeling could also be from the fact that they were graduating soon. And not only that, Harry was preparing for nursing school and gearing up to take some of his hardest qualification tests in order to move forward in his career path. So having all of that bundled up together, added to the constant arguing with Louis over the future of their relationship, could genuinely be overwhelming Harry.

Everything was so chaotic for Harry right now that maybe he just needed the reassurance from Louis that they were still a stable and constant thing. Louis could see the point in that the more he thought about it, but knowing that he had been working on this plan for Harry for awhile, he didn't want to ruin anything by caving. He didn't want to ruin the element of surprise and take the whole mood away by giving all the answers Harry had been begging for. It wold take everything away and not be as special as Louis had intended.

"Don't even try, Liam" Zayn sighed when the silence was dragging on with Liam patiently waiting for a reply from Louis. It never came, if anything, Louis didn't even look up from the table, still too focused on the chipped piece he found earlier. "I've already tried talking to Louis about it, and he keeps changing the topic," Zayn informed with a roll of his eyes, grabbing his pint and taking a sip.

"I really think this is something that needs to be discussed, though" Niall frowned, placing his hand on Louis' back in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture, but Louis grumbled in response, shaking his upper body so that Niall knew his hand contact wasn't wanted.

"I agree," Liam nodded, "The two of you shouldn't be falling apart like this right now."

"No one is saying you have to rush anything, Lou," Zayn added in quickly, already back to his lecture tone like he was earlier when it was just the two of them. It made Louis cringe. "But you at least need to talk to Harry about all of this. I know Harry is being pushy with it, but obviously he needs some sort of reassurance that you still see a future with him."

There was a chorus of agreements going around the table that was making Louis' eye twitch, slowly making him grow aggravated the more the three of them continued to talk about it. It was the same thing they had been talking about for the past month, and they always put it all on Louis to fix it instead of minding their own business. Louis did appreciate their concern, but the three of them were so quick to choose Harry's side, and none of them even stopped to consider how much this was putting a strain on Louis as well.

Louis had been keeping his mouth shut for a reason. He had been trying to ignore what his friends constantly nagged him with, even some of the relationship advice they had given him, but it was getting to a point where he couldn't listen to that either. He constantly had Harry bombarding him with relationship questions and inquires about their future together, as if Louis hadn't told him before that marriage was _the_ option for him, but now he had to hear his friends nag him about all of it as well, and he was getting so fed up that he didn't even feel like proposing to _anyone_ at _anytime._

"I think-"

"Fuck," Louis snapped, interrupting what Niall was about to say. He slammed his hands on top of the table and darted his eyes to each of the lads, breathing heavily out his nose and trying his best not to get too emotional. He already felt the need to cry, those frustrated tears wanting to make another appearance right now, but he refused to let himself get to that point.

"I'm proposing to him next month, okay?" Louis added on when all their wide eyes weren't blinking at all, as if they were anticipating some big announcement.

And well, that was the big news. It was enough to silence the three of them almost instantly, looking as if they were a deer caught in headlights. Louis would probably laugh at their reactions given a different circumstance, but he was so annoyed at the moment that he just deflated in his seat and reached for his pint of beer.

"What?" Zayn finally coughed, shaking his head as if he didn't hear Louis right.

"When did you decide this?" Niall followed up with, scooting on the edge of his seat and keeping that wide eyed look set on Louis' face.

"For about a year," Louis explained, licking his lips and setting the pint back down, realizing he finished the rest of his drink while waiting for one of them to react first. "I actually did the ring a couple months after we moved in together."

"And you didn't tell us why?" Zayn questioned, a whine to his tone that gave off how hurt he was, even Niall and Liam looked equally as upset as he did.

Louis knew he wanted their friends to be a part of the whole thing. He remembered when Louis first mentioned him proposing after graduation that they begged to go to the ring store with him. It was a great plan that Louis intended on following through with, even wanting their advice for how he should actually propose, but then one day it was like a lightbulb went off in his head, and just _knew_ what he wanted to do.

"Because I wanted it to be a surprise."

"You didn't want our input though?" Niall frowned.

Louis shrugged his shoulders in response, clasping his hands on the table. He knew their input was something he was looking forward to, he respected each one of them with their support for his relationship with Harry, but for once in Louis' like, he was more sure about this than anything. He had it so perfectly planned in his head, getting all the details ready for the past year, that he couldn't risk anyone knowing. He had truly been so focused on all the details for the proposal that he just carelessly forgot to get the lads involved.

But, Louis still had his reasons for not jumping to them right away. He knew that the five of them hung out all the time, either it be drinking or getting high, or Harry watching them with a smile on his face. But there were times when they would get together under some influence, and it was at those instances that Louis feared one of the lads would slip up.

When Zayn was high, he loved to talk about the most randomest shit he could think of. He has spilled the beans on so many things after smoking weed, so Louis knew that he couldn't let Zayn know right away. The same was with Niall whenever he was drunk. He liked to tease people about things they didn't know of and that he had full detail on, so Louis didn't want to take the chance of Niall rubbing it in Harry's face that he knew something Harry didn't.

Liam, honestly, he was pretty reliable. Sometimes he let things slip when he was sober, not even realizing he would tell off a secret or something that wasn't supposed to be shared, so even then, Louis was cautious about that.

"I did want it, truthfully," Louis reassured, not wanting them to take anything the wrong way. "But then when I got everything together, I realized it was perfect. I didn't need any help."

"And you're sure of that?" Zayn raised his eyebrow, looking as if he doubted Louis' creativeness.

"Well, I could have proposed to Harry in the place we first had sex, considering that is what started our relationship," Louis teased with a smile, seeing Zayn grimace at the thought while also hearing Niall laugh at the suggestion. "But I figured you wouldn't like that idea much considering we fucked in your guest room."

"Yeah, I'm glad you thought otherwise," Zayn muttered under his breath as he reached for his pint, realizing he needed another sip of his beer.

"Well, how are you going to propose then?" Liam asked very enthused, sitting on the edge of his chair and curving his lips up excitedly.

"I'm not revealing much," Louis laughed, ignoring their groan in protest. "But it's definitely going to be on the day Harry's taking his qualification test. One month from today. It's on a Friday."

Louis waited patiently while the three of them all turned to look at each other, as if they were going to use one another's help in trying to figure something out. The best Louis could do was tell his friends when he was going to propose. The idea was that they would be ready to celebrate after it happened and waiting patiently for Harry to tell them the story of how it happened. 

But _there was_ a significance to the day he chose, in which, he was hoping his friends would piece together. It just kind of worked out in his favor that Harry's test fell on the day he had been wanting to propose on, so he knew he could get away with the idea of celebrating Harry's completion instead of him thinking anything suspicious or out of the ordinary was happening. It was hopefully going to work out perfectly for Louis. He could only wish though.

"Wow, wasn't that the day we had-" Niall cheered, before he was being interrupted.

"That was when you-" Liam added.

"At the-" Zayn started, but Louis was cutting them all off with a smile a continuous _yup's._ "Wow, Louis. That's great."

"I agree then, you probably didn't need our input," Niall smiled, almost gushing as he got up from his seat to give Louis a hug.

"He's going to love it, Lou," Liam softly reassured.

Their moment was interrupted when Zayn noticed Harry was finally walking through the entrance of the bar. He tilted his head up subtly to signal to Niall and Louis to break apart from their hug before Harry noticed them. He didn't want Harry to walk over and question what was going on, so Niall quickly bustled back to his bar stool and began sipping on his beer.

"Hey, guys," Harry greeted with a tired huff, giving them a smile before he was making his way around the table with hugs.

Harry was still wearing his blue scrubs since he came straight from clinical hours at the hospital. His hair was tied in a bun on top of his head, a little messy considering it was the end of the day, and he looked the epitome of tired. Louis could see every line on Harry's face that showed he was getting very little sleep, that he was spending most of his days either scowling or frowning. All Louis wanted to do was ease the stress in Harry's life and make him glow again, but he knew he was one of the main factors in Harry's frustration.

"Hi, baby," Louis greeted when Harry finally made his way to him.

Harry gave him a sleepy smile and idly walked his way in between Louis' legs. He slumped his body up against Louis' chest and wrapped his arms around Louis' waist, just letting himself be held for a few moments. Harry sighed when Louis shifted his hands around until they were gripping his hips, thumbs gently rubbing along the lining of his pants.

"Long day?" Louis questioned, already knowing the answer considering it had been the same routine for Harry for the past couple months - always coming home looking completely exhausted.

"Super long. I need a drink," Harry pouted.

"Sorry, I just finished mine. Would've given it to you."

"I'll order us a round. Don't worry," Zayn quickly added in, catching Louis' eye and giving him a wink.

"Thanks, Z," Harry sighed again, finally pulling his body back just a little so he could look at Louis in a better angle. "A couple students had to reschedule their hours, so I was one of the only ones in the clinic today. Which meant I had to do a lot tasks. So many of them included drawing blood from screaming children, so I feel like I have a massive headache now."

"You drew blood?" Niall squawked, sounding highly interested. "That sounds amazing.".

"Yeah, but - I need a drink, _now_ ," Harry huffed, leaning his chest back up against Louis' and turning his head to rest on Louis' shoulder, a position that allowed him to see everyone at the table.

As if on cue, which Louis was grateful for, the waiter was coming by with six glasses of beer. Zayn had informed that the sixth one was for Harry since he clearly needed some alcohol in his system, and plus, Harry was a couple drinks behind the lot of them. Louis was thankful enough that Harry seemed to ease up a little as he reached for both glasses, cracking that goofy grin when he started drinking from both.

Louis watched fondly every time Harry took a turn from each glass, seeing him laugh every time he did so. Harry was clearly amused he was double fisting his beer, which meant he could easily be entertained or he was just  _that_ tired, but either way, Louis enjoyed watching him chug the rest of both glasses.

Louis ordered the two of them another round of drinks when Harry finished his two glasses along with Louis' while the others got up from the table to go play pool. It left him and Harry alone at the table, which was something nice for them to do. It was probably a good thing for the both of them to spend some time together in public. It had been awhile since the two of them had their arms around each other and show proper affection for one another. It was nice.

"Feeling better?" Louis asked once the next round of drinks was placed on the table.

Harry reached for his glass and ended up turning his body around. He remained in between Louis' legs, but he rested his back up against the table which gave Louis perfect access to kind of trap Harry in his spot, legs bracketing the space of Harry's body with his free arm coming to rest on the table beside Harry.

It made Harry smile, nonetheless.

"A little bit," Harry replied. "I might feel a lot more better if we could get properly toasted tonight."

"I'm with you, darling," Louis cheered, raising his pint of beer in the air for him and Harry to clink their glasses together.

They spent the next few hours just like that, bodies close together and drinks continuously being placed in front of them. The lads ended up staying in the area where all the games were, going through different rounds of air hockey, pool, darts, and shuffle board. It was almost as if they were keeping their distance on purpose, like they were forcing Harry and Louis to actually spend some quality time together without the distraction of other people being there.

It was nice, Louis thought. Because the entire time he and Harry were drinking, they kept getting closer and closer to one another. It was to the point where Harry's body was pressing against Louis' with their arms tangled around each other, lips nearly grazing against one another until they exchanged occasional kisses. It was really nice.

Because it had been awhile since Harry and Louis got to act like this around one another. They were holding hands and showing affection to each other in public, something they haven't done since the previous year. It felt nice knowing it was so easy for them to fall back into this routine of being lovely with one another, not worrying about any stressors or arguments from coming up. So, Louis was pretty thankful the lads stayed away to give them this time together.

Harry and Louis ended up stumbling back home around midnight, spending their time in the backseat of the taxi giggling into each other's ears and flailing around in the back every time the driver made a turn. Then, when they stepped out the car, Harry ended up tripping up the curb, spending the next five minutes with his ass on the ground laughing hysterically.

Then it was Louis' turn, who tried several attempts to get the key in the doorknob, causing Harry to giggle every time he missed and shoved the key up against the door. It took several tries, but eventually, Louis managed to get the key in the slot, and they two of them were dancing their way inside, hands laced together and feet sliding across the ground while they shimmied their way towards the futon.

They ended up falling on top of the cushions together, side by side, until Harry got a better idea and turned himself against Louis' side. Louis smiled sheepishly as he wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulder, pulling him in closer to his body while pressing a kiss to the top of his head. He heard Harry let out a little kitten purr, his arms wrapping around Louis' middle and just letting their bodies be close together.

Harry's ear was resting right on Louis' chest, listening to the smooth melody his heartbeat, closing his eyes for a brief moment before he was shifting his head around until his chin was resting on Louis chest, and he was looking up at him. Louis' eyes tiredly looked down at Harry, giving him a small smile before he was leaning down to press their lips together.

Harry kissed back just as eager, being a little clumsy too with how much alcohol was swirling in their system. His hand came up and caressed the side of Louis' jaw, holding him steady as he started to move his body more on top of him so that they had a better ground to kiss. It was perfect, and something Louis had been craving for months. He missed the way Harry tasted on his tongue and the way his hands knew every inch of Harry's body, really enjoying this moment that he got to remember how both felt and tasted.

It was something that he realized he had taken for granted. He had gotten so used to Harry's kisses and how smooth his skin used to feel, that he didn't appreciate them nearly as much as when he first discovered these things. This moment made him realize he needed to appreciate every part of Harry that he could, knowing very well _now_ that he may not get as much of Harry's kisses or Harry's body on some days, so whenever he did, Louis needed to value every part of it.

Harry continued to move his body until his thighs were bracketing Louis' hips, properly sitting himself on Louis' lap and leaning full force into him while his lips continued to chase Louis', feeling Louis' tongue making its way into his mouth. It had a desperate whine coming from him, one that Louis easily silenced with the press of his lips, licking his way further into Harry's mouth.

It went like this for the next few minutes until Harry was gently pulling his face back with a heavy breath blowing past his nose, hands still holding Louis' face as he flicked his eyes across every feature on Louis' face. He gave a weak smile, one that showed hesitance, one that had Louis raising his eyebrow in concern for the switch in his mood.

"You still love me, right?" Harry asked suddenly, sounding more insecure than he had in the past, the alcohol weighing heavy on his emotions.

"Yes, Harry," Louis sighed, slumping further into the couch from simply knowing where this conversation was about to lead to. "I love you. I always have."

It seemed to lift some sort of weight off Harry's shoulders, as if it was something he was genuinely concerned about. He looked relieved, something that had Louis frowning because he didn't know at what point in their relationship that Harry started to question his love for him. It didn't sit well with Louis.

"You want to marry me?" Harry then asked, barely above a whisper as if he was nervous to ask in the first place, acting like this wasn't something he had been constantly asking for the past half year.

"Harry," Louis warned , dropping his head back on the cushion with a loud sigh.

"Louis, why can't you just answer me?" Harry then begged, dropping his hands from Louis' face and letting them fall down his side, his eyes glossing over with tears. "It's a simple question."

"It's one you keeping asking me, Harry. Like fuck, stop bugging me about it."

Harry blew air out his lips and turned his head to the side, blinking his eyes when tears started to surface quickly. It was then he realized that he was still on Louis' lap, feeling the tension between them start to thicken, so he decided to pull off, standing up in front of Louis with his arms covering his body.

"You never answer me about it, Louis. What do you expect me to do?" Harry then cried, hands going to his hips as he let out a deep, heavy breath.

"Just drop it. It's not something we need to talk about every hour of the day. I don't get why you have to constantly ask me this same damn question everyday, Haz. Why can't we just enjoy what we are now? It's tiring and annoying how much you bring it up."

That seemed to set something off in Harry because he was suddenly letting out a bitter laugh, eyes hardening from where they were staring at Louis. His foot began tapping on the ground in frustration, his fingers going to his hair and pulling on his curls. Louis noticed the shift and straightened up in his spot, crossing his arms over his chest and testing Harry with a raised eyebrow.

"I bring it up Louis because you always push it aside. You used to love talking about it, but now you don't even want to think about it. It's fucking annoying for me too to see how careless you are about us. You're going back to how you used to be - not being able to commit to me -"

"Harry, you know very well why I couldn't commit to you at first," Louis finally snapped, standing up from the couch as well. "You know very damn well what I was going through at the time."

"What's your fucking excuse _now_?" Harry cried out, flailing his arms out in the air. "Because I'm getting tired of being with someone who doesn't want to talk about their future with me. I feel like I'm wasting my time being with someone who doesn't want to commit a future with me, and I don't understand what happened to make you change your mind about us, Louis, but I can't keep doing this if this is something you don't want forever."

Louis swallowed down the words that got caught in his throat and slumped his shoulders, having no absolute clue in what he should even say. He felt broken, defeated, at a complete loss. He had no idea where Harry's head came up with any of that to the point where Harry actually doubted Louis' love for him. It utterly broke Louis' heart to see Harry at this stage, so vulnerable and upset, mostly influenced by the alcohol in his body, but still with enough worry about their relationship that it was bringing him down.

Louis didn't know what he could say to fix everything, and the only thing he could think of was to actually propose to Harry right then and there, but then what was the point of that? He didn't want his proposal to happen because it was the reassurance Harry needed to know they had a future together. Louis wanted his proposal to be spontaneous and romantic, everything Harry deserved - he didn't want it to be forced. He didn't want it to feel forced, but it was starting to get to the point where Louis was losing his own mood and interest for his proposal. It was all getting ruined every time Harry asked that damn question.

Louis blew air out his lips and sat back down on the couch, blinking around the room for a couple of seconds before he was looking back up at Harry, seeing the tears freely falling down his face. "Harry, let's just go to bed, okay? We shouldn't be doing this while we're drunk."

Harry looked at Louis for a couple of minutes before he huffing under his breath, rolling his lips together and nodding his head. It was the same thing Louis always suggested when they got to this point of the conversation, something Louis always said to drop the topic. He always brushed it off by using the excuse to go to bed, and it left Harry more frustrated as ever.

"Okay, Louis. I'm fucking going to bed then," Harry finally grumbled, turning his body and walking towards the bedroom.

Louis let out a relieved sigh and stood up from the couch, following behind Harry with a frown. It was then when Harry heard his footsteps behind him, causing him to pause at the bedroom door and turn to look at him, eyeballing Louis whenever he had stopped walking a couple spaces in front of him.

"I'd prefer to be alone tonight," Harry mumbled under his breath before he was disappearing into the room, slamming the door in Louis' face and leaving him standing in the living room all alone.

Just a few more months, Louis thought to himself as he walked back to the couch, tossing his body on top of the cushions with a sigh. Just a few more months until everything will be fixed.

 

//

 

It was a long month, but it was finally _the day_. It was finally the day Harry was taking his Nursing qualification test, and it was also the day Louis would put his plan into action. Which meant, Louis had twelve hours to fully prepare for everything, which also meant, Louis needed to not screw anything up during the time until then.

It all started when Harry's alarm went off at six in the morning, waking the two of them up and forcing them to detangle their bodies from one another. It was a struggle, considering Harry held on tightly to Louis and did his best to refuse getting up, but after much groaning, Louis had managed to get Harry out of the bed to get ready for his test.

It was a quite and nice morning they spent together, which was nice considering they were coming off one of their better nights. Louis had helped Harry throughout the entire evening with his last minute studies and helped in any way that he could to calm Harry down. This then led to them finally going to sleep together in their bed with smiles on their faces and arms around each other. It was honestly one of the best sleeps in Louis' life, and he knew it was a perfect set up going into the next day.

Louis ended up making the two of them breakfast, with the small amount of skills he's acquired since being with Harry, he's learned a few recipes that he could actually execute. Since there were countless of mornings and evenings when Harry was too tired to cook or just simply lacked motivation to do so, Louis figured he could help him out by teaching himself how to cook some things when it was one of those types of days - and that morning happened to be one of those days.

It was more calming for Harry to relax at the dining table while Louis had cooked and placed food down in front of him, a coffee for him and hot tea for Louis. They sat there in a comfortable silence simply eating their food, exchange small glances at each other that caused them to smile each time. It was cute and peaceful, and it was one of the few times where Louis got to see Harry so calm and relaxed, so he was really soaking in this moment.

At around seven-thirty, Harry had to leave the house to get to campus. So as he was heading out the door, backpack strapped to one shoulder, Louis quickly pulled him back to press a long kiss to his lips, letting their mouths rest up against each other until he was ready enough to pull back with a smile. Harry blinked once their lips parted, staring dazily at Louis with a blush on his cheeks before pressing one more kiss to his lips and heading towards the car.

When Harry was finally gone, Louis felt panicked. He still had so much time until him and Harry were going out, but he still knew that the chance of nothing working out perfectly was an option, and he only hoped that nothing would ruin the day. For the past week, he and Harry were actually in a stable place, loving each other more than arguing.

Louis could probably thank the test Harry was taking since Harry had been more focused on that than anything else. And Louis used the test as a way to communicate with Harry, either helping him study the material or just doing what he could to give Harry a brain break. Just the other day, after hours of studying with each other, they finally made love, after nearly going four months dry of it, and it was such a highlight of the week for the both of them. Finally reconnecting their bodies and proving to each other that they do still love each other. It was another one of those moments that Louis really cherished.

At noon, Louis went to his proposal site to get the first thing ready. He had reserved the area he wanted for the night, and he was able to come hours early to decorate it just how he wanted. He let Niall, Liam, and Zayn tag along just because he knew they would be a great set of extra hands, and he actually wanted their input in how the place turned out looking.

It ended up looking beautiful.

At around four, Louis was back at the house making his calls to all the people helping out. The lads were going to be at a bar to be ready for the celebration after the who thing happened. As much as Louis wanted them to actually be with him during the proposal, he couldn't risk the chance of Harry getting suspicious.

All Harry knew was that he and Louis were going out tonight to celebrate his completion of nursing classes and the qualification test. He had no idea where they were even going, so that was still up in the air for Harry, and Louis wanted to remain as nonchalant as he could until the actual _thing_ happened.

The other people who were helping him out were a couple of his friends in the English and Drama department at the University. He had made some friends outside of his group that he would say he had gotten pretty close to, so he figured those would be the ones who could actually be at the scene of the proposal doing the manual help when it happened. Since Harry never really met them or hung out with them, he didn't know their faces, so they were in the clear to do some extra details during the thing.

At around six, Harry finally came home.

At around six, that was also when Louis felt like his whole world was about to turn upside down.

Harry walked through the door with a smile on his face and like the weight on his shoulders had been lifted off. He looked fresh and relieved, which was an odd thing to say since he just came back from taking a long ass test, but he did. It was like one of the main stressors in his life was finally done, and he was able to breathe a little better now.

Louis was sitting on the couch when he heard Harry walk in. He had been patiently waiting with the hours leading up by watching some television and taking many showers throughout the day. He had to keep himself busy in order to keep himself from freaking out internally, which was how he ended up hitting his own record with the number of showers in a day, but once seeing Harry so chirpy, it was easy for his worriedness to completely go away.

"Hi, love," Louis greeted, sitting on the edge of the couch and turning his body at an angle so he could watch Harry walk over to him.

Harry's smile grew wider as he tossed his bag off to the side. He started skipping his way to the couch and giggled when he got in front of Louis, leaning his body down until Louis caught him and brought him on his lap. Harry let out a sigh and pressed his lips to Louis' almost instantly, needing the taste of him on his tongue before actually replying to what he just said.

When Harry got a good taste, he pulled back with another grin. "I feel really good about this test," Harry assured Louis, wrapping his arms fully around Louis' neck and letting his fingers slide through his hair.

"That's good, baby. You seem excited, too."

"Of course I'm excited," Harry agreed with a small laugh, one that had Louis smiling because he really hadn't seen Harry smile or laugh this much in so long. "I'm finally done with my classes, and we finally get to go on a date tonight. All the reasons for me to be excited."

Louis' heart warmed at that, and he couldn't help but to pull Harry down in for another kiss. It eased his mind and relaxed his body to know that Harry was looking just as forward to tonight as he was, even if all Harry knew was that they were going out to dinner, but still, Harry was excited to spend the night with Louis. It was another one of those moments that reminded Louis that no matter how much he and Harry drift apart, the two of them would always find their way back to each other.

"Speaking of, go get ready, crazy boy," Louis then chastised, squeezing Harry's ass just to be a tease and just to get him up. He knew how long Harry took, and they had until eight until they needed to be at the place.

"Well, have you showered?" Harry asked with a bite to his lip, slowly pulling himself off Louis and reaching for his hand in the process, dragging him up as well.

Louis' cheeks tinted red at the question, and he giggled, walking up to Harry's body and wrapping an arm around his waist. "I have showered, actually." He won't tell Harry how many times, though. Four, to be exact. "Why? Do you need assistance in washing your body?"

Harry's grin grew suggestive, licking his lips to be a tease and using his grip on Louis' hand to start dragging him towards the wash. "There may be some areas I can't reach properly. I may need you to help me."

Harry giggled under his breath and turned his body forward so that Louis could see his back. Louis rolled his eyes at the attempt, but he found himself laughing as well when Harry was purposely shaking his hips to get Louis' attention to go down there. Louis smiled and scooted closer to Harry until he was pressing up against him, hand creeping down in between their bodies so he could grab Harry's ass again.

"Whatever you say, darling."

Louis then knew that Harry was in a _very_ good mood if he wanted them to shower together. They have not done that since Louis' birthday, and it was one of their favorite things to do. Ever since the arguments took over the majority of their time together, they ended doing things separately a lot. Showering was one of them, and Louis probably missed that the most.

Having sex was another thing they kind of stopped doing. Of course, whenever things were great between them, the couple of times that they were, it was like they knew they needed to take advantage of that. So they tried making love whenever the time was right, it wasn't something they actually cut off - more like, it was something they limited.

However, there were the occasional times it wasn't making love. If they ended up drunk with the lads, they would find themselves stumbling into a drunk round of sex together, which, they never complained about. Or if their arguments got too heated, almost to the point where they both feared physical contact would be made, it would actually lead them to have angry sex. Which, again, neither complained about.

So getting to follow Harry into the bathroom with the intent to shower was something Louis was looking forward to. He always found showering or bathing with Harry was such an intimate thing to do, and he loved how close it made them. His favorite part was undressing Harry, which was something he finally got to do after going months without it.

He started with Harry's shirt, pulling that over his head and keeping Harry's back to him. Then he went to the neck kisses, pressing his lips lightly along the column of Harry's neck before traveling down his shoulder. As he did so, his hands ran down Harry's sides until he was gripping the waist band of his pants, shifting his arms around until he could reach the button.

Once Harry's pants were off and he was standing there completely naked, eyes looking at himself in the mirror before watching Louis' next move carefully, Louis turned Harry around to face him again. He finished it all off with a bruising kiss to Harry's lips. His arms were wrapped tightly around Harry's waist to keep him in place while Harry's body curved up into Louis' in order to be as close as possible.

The kiss led to Harry desperately shedding Louis' clothes off in a clumsy manner, hands flying everywhere to get any article of clothing off of him while desperately still trying to kiss him. Then finally, they entered the shower together, arms wrapping tightly around one another with Louis pulling them both inside, up to the point where his back was resting up against the windows of the shower.

"We don't want to be late," Louis mumbled into the next kiss, running his hands up and down Harry's back and not making any move to pull back. He just continued too pull Harry closer to him, chasing his lips kiss after kiss, not really wanting to do anything else other than to taste Harry.

"You're trying to stop this right now?" Harry teased, being the one to finally pull back.

His hands rested comfortably on top of Louis' shoulder while Louis' were hugging the baseline of his spin, preventing any inch of space from making its way in between them. The water was mainly landing on Harry's back, so he had droplets running down his face and soaking his hair, causing his once curly locks to turn straight, making it fall across his forehead in a messy manner. Louis smiled at it and reached up to brush the wet hair out of Harry's face, letting his knuckles run down the side of his jaw before he was cupping the side of his cheek.

"I miss you," Harry then stated, after spending moments of watching Louis watch him, ignoring the fact that the two of them were still standing under the shower head, naked and getting wet.

"I miss you, too, love," Louis replied easily, feeling his stomach start to flutter. "So fucking much," he had to add because well, he wasn't lying. He missed this side of Harry where they could be silly in the shower and just look at each other like they had nothing better to do. That was who they were.

They had to pull their bodies apart eventually to begin actually making use of the shower. After their bodies were cleaned and their hair was washed, they went and got ready for their date. Louis had informed that the attire for the night was to be romantic, and that he wanted the two of them to look good. His excuse was that they haven't done this in awhile, so he wanted to have fun and dress up with Harry, but in reality, he knew that pictures were being taken later, and he wanted their best outfits on display. Harry was all for it and fell for it easily, which was perfect for Louis.

At around seven, Louis and Harry were heading out the door, hand in hand, and extra bright smiles on their faces.

The plan was to propose to Harry first and then meet up with the lads after for the celebration. The meet up place was where they would eat and have drinks to celebrate, but Louis had to pop the question first before any of that could happen. So he got in the driver's side of the car, and he began driving him and Harry to their destination, hoping that Harry didn't start to question where they were going or that he didn't start to recognize the area around him.

Louis got to the parking garage of the place before Harry read _La Grange_ on the entrance sign of the hotel. The minute he realized where they were, his head snapped over to Louis right away with a confused expression on his face. Louis just shrugged his shoulders in response as he went to park in a spot, turning the car off and giving a smug grin to Harry before stepping out.

"Why are we here?" Harry questioned, sounding both confused and interested at the same time, quickening his steps to Louis and reaching for his hand desperately.

"Why not be here?" Was Louis' reply, biting his lip to prevent himself from giggling when Harry frowned at the response.

Louis lead the both of them inside and passed the lobby before they were making it into the ballroom. Harry didn't notice anything unusual yet, simply distracted by the fact that they were in the hotel in the first place, but Louis had managed to look around the lobby to make sure his classmates were in position to get everything ready while he did what he needed to do in the ballroom. He hoped everything would play out like he had visioned it.

Harry was the first to step into the ballroom, dropping Louis' hand once he was inside. He let out a loud gasp when he took sight of everything, tearing up right away and covering his mouth in shock because he really didn't know what else to do. Louis smiled proudly as he walked up behind Harry, placing his hands on his hips and just admiring everything he had done, nodding approvingly to himself because he knew he got this part right.

The room was dark, only lit up by fake candles that were shaped in to a giant heart in the middle of the room. Next to the candles were little photo holders that had various pictures of Harry and Louis attached to the top, so the heart was alternating between a candle and a small photo. In the middle of the heart, there was a sprinkle of rose petals on the ground.

Then on the far, back wall, there was a projector screen. The projector was pulled down and displaying a slide show Louis had created for this day. It went through a bunch of other pictures the two of them took together over the four years they had been together, and some pictures were ones that Louis took just of Harry. There were a couple of videos as well that had no sound, but they were making their appearance on the slideshow, too, mainly ones Louis had snuck of Harry, but there was some they had filmed of the both of them.

Harry let out a shaky breath as Louis walked around his body to stand in front of him. Harry's teary eyes looked around the room once more before they were finally landing on Louis, making him feel more emotional when he saw that Louis was holding his hand out for him. Harry let out a wet laugh as he placed his hand in Louis', following his lead out into the middle of the heart just about the same time _Everything_ by Micheal Buble came on.

"What is going on?" Harry whispered, fearing that if he spoke any louder his voice would crack.

He had tears in his eyes that he was unashamed of, feeling them run down his cheek and making its way into his mouth, but he didn't care. All he could care about was the fact that Louis did all of this for him without any true reasoning, and he did it at the place where they had their final dance four years ago on that same day. It was just as much confusing as it was endearing, but Harry loved it all nonetheless.

Louis smiled at Harry's question and began to lead their slow dance, holding Harry's hand out to the side while his other arm rested heavy around his waist. "Well, I never got my slow dance from you," Louis reminded, giving Harry a wink when he rolled his eyes.

"We weren't exactly together at the time," Harry teased, scooting himself closer to Louis and squeezing his hand with a smile.

"I know," Louis licked his lips, gliding his feet across the floor and the petals, getting cheeky and giving Harry a little spin under his arms, laughing when Harry had to dunk under. "But I remember watching you and Nick dance together, and all I wanted to do was be the one out there with you."

"Well, You're with me now," Harry said cheekily, leaning down a little to press a kiss to Louis' mouth. "But why do you want to do this now?"

Louis shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, feeling his fingers dig into Harry's back as he continued to guide them in circles. "I just wanted to do something special for you. I know how stressed you have been these past couple of months, and I know there's been a little bit of a strain between us, but I wanted us to just have a night together where I could show you that I love you - and maybe do something special since you finished your nursing classes. I know how tiring all that was."

"It was." Harry mumbled under his breath, twisting his lips to the side and flicking his eyes past Louis to look at the slideshow playing.

It grew silent between the both of them as they let the song continue to play. They shifted their dancing positions to where Harry's arms were around Louis' neck and Louis' arms were around Harry's waist. There wasn't an inch of space as the two of them moved around, wanting their bodies to be as close as possible. Harry's head was resting on Louis' shoulder as he tried his best to continue watching the slideshow while they danced, smiling as the pictures kept filtering through.

It was then when a certain picture came on the projector that Harry tensed up on. It was a picture of Harry and Louis celebrating the championship win at Old Trafford Stadium, right when they had just beaten West Point for the title. Harry was in Louis' arms and they're kissing, one of the most happiest moments in their relationship, but as Harry kept looking at the picture, he started to notice a body in the background, one that was making his insides twist uncomfortably.

That was when he pulled his head back from Louis' shoulder and look down at him with a frown. "I saw Reid," he blurted out, making the two of them suddenly pause their dancing.

"When?" Louis questioned, sounding concerned when he noticed the pained look on Harry's face, one that Harry normally made when he was about to cry. Louis quickly reached down to grab a hold of Harry's hand, giving him some sort of comfort that he obviously needed.

"It was around the holidays, before New Years," Harry explained with a gulp. "I saw him at a bar when I was out with some of my nursing friends. He was there and ..."

Harry stopped talking with a shake of his head, closing his eyes briefly when the tears starting filling up quickly. Louis' frowned deepened as he took a step closer to Harry, gently cupping his chin and tilting his head up until he finally opened his eyes. "What happened?" Louis asked slowly, furrowing his eyebrows together when Harry wiped his eyes with the back of his other hand.

"He wouldn't stop talking to me. I tried so hard to make him leave me alone, but he wouldn't. He just - He kept -" Harry paused again as he let out a big breath, blinking his eyes a couple of times hoping it would make the tears stop. It didn't, but Louis wiped them away for him. "He talked about our relationship - me and you. He said he was surprised that you decided to stay with me for so long, and he was wondering when you would finally leave me just like he had left me. He also kept talking about how you'll always see me as his seconds, someone even he didn't want, and that you would never see me as anything else."

"Harry, you know that isn't true," Louis quickly reassured, moving both hands to cup Harry's face.

"He just kept talking like that, making me feel like shit, and it didn't help that I was a little buzzed by then," Harry continued as he went to wrap his hands around Louis' wrists, just giving himself something to anchor on to. "Then it was like - then he reminded me that me and you had been together for four years now, and you still hadn't given me a ring. That was when he went into this whole thing about how you don't see yourself marrying me - you could never commit to me because of my past relationship with him- and I just got so worried about it. He put in my head that you wouldn't propose to me and that you would eventually leave me, and that was why-"

"That was why you kept asking me about it," Louis finally concluded, letting out a deep sigh when everything made sense. "And then I stopped answering questions about it," he added more as a side note, realizing now why Harry ended up reacting the way he did.

"When you started to ignore everything, it just made what Reid said sound so true, and I was getting even more worried with that. I didn't want him to be right, so thats why I always asked if you still loved me or if you still saw yourself with me in the future. I knew the answers to those, I never really questioned that, but Reid just made me start to doubt everything, and I got so paranoid."

Their moment was interrupted when they heard a knock on the door, which meant everything out in the lobby was ready for Louis to continue on with the plan. And thankfully so, because there couldn't have been a better lead up to the moment than the one they had now, and Louis was more than ready to ask Harry.

After hearing everything, Louis understood why Harry had been acting the way he did. Louis always knew Reid tried his best to get into both his and Harry's head, so no wonder after Harry saw Reid he turned paranoid. It all made sense to Louis, and he could now pin point that exact day when Harry's jokes about being proposed to turned into something more. He remembered that night when a drunk Harry was stumbling into the house crying to Louis about getting married.

It just - it all made sense now, and Louis really fucking hated Reid a lot more now.

"Come on," Louis said instead, reaching for Harry's hand and guiding him out of the ballroom.

Harry made a sound of protest as Louis began leading them out, seemingly not finished with the conversation, but Louis was ready to move past that. He was ready to make the biggest move in his life that he hoped explained to Harry why he started to ignore those questions. It was a long road to get to where they were now, after going months of arguing and nearly breaking up, but they were finally there, and Louis was ready for it now.

Once they got out into the main entrance of the hotel, standing right at the opening of the lobby, Harry was able to see everything Louis had did. He knew none of this was set up when they first passed the lobby to get into the ballroom, so he concluded that Louis must have had people there to set this up while they were having their slow dance. Harry didn't really know what was going on, but he had hope deep down in his heart that something big was about to happen.

Right where the sitting area was, there were more flower petals scattered along the floor. There were fake candles circling the coffee table on the ground, and right next to the whole set up, there was a children's orchestra playing a soft melody, but when Harry and Louis started walking closer, they began playing the tune of _From This Moment On_ by Shania Twain.

Harry let out a gasp as they continued to step closer to the sitting area, feeling butterflies erupt in his stomach when he started to remember exactly what had happened on that coffee table about four years ago. It made his heart beat faster while reminiscing over a time when he and Louis were struggling to get their relationship started. It was a sentimental feeling, and it was making Harry smile more than ever.

Up above on the second floor, the bar area was extended to look out over the middle of the lobby. One of Louis' classmates was standing right at the railing, looking down and waiting for the signal to begin. Once Louis pulled Harry all the way over to the couches and the coffee table, that was when Louis' friend started to sprinkle small flower petals from the second floor, having it fall slowly until it was landing either on their heads or on the floor.

Harry looked up and giggled when he saw pink petals making their way down, one of them falling on his forehead that made his dimply smile appear. Louis watched fondly for a moment as Harry picked the petal off and let it fall in between his fingers, the growing smile on his face never fading away as he continued to look around the area one more time.

"Louis," Harry breathed out, nearly breathless after taking everything in. "What is going on?"

Louis smirked as he walked over to the coffee table, standing in front of it while he reached for both of Harry's hands. "So first off, I know how much this song means to you," Louis started with, seeing Harry blush from the accusation. Harry has always loved Shania, but this song in particular had always been one of his favorites - something special he kept close to his heart.

"You want this song in your wedding," Louis then admitted, like he knew one of Harry's biggest secrets.

"How did you know that?" Harry questioned, twisting his lips to the side.

"You told me once. A long time ago when you were drunk," Louis reminded with a giggle, his thumb softly rubbing along one of Harry's knuckles. "You told me you wanted your first dance to this song to be with your husband, and that was one of the main reasons why you didn't dance with Nick to this song. So, I figured we could make this song have a little bit more meaning."

Harry was ready to question Louis on what he meant by that, but then Louis was dropping his hand from his hold and walking around the coffee table. Harry took a step back and looked over at Louis, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion at not knowing what he was about to do. But then Louis stood up on the coffee table, spreading his arms out wide and drawing more attention their way, the same thing that had happened to them in that exact same spot four years ago.

Harry covered his mouth and giggled, shyly looking around to see if anyone was looking their way. He noticed some people had stopped off to the side and were watching with interest, others were up on the second floor next to the person who was dropping flower petals on them. He even noticed someone holding a camera, wondering if that man was purposely supposed to be taking pictures of them before his attention went back to Louis.

"I never knew how much this day meant to you until last year," Louis began, dropping his arms to his side. "You had a notification pop up on your phone to remind you that it was the day I told you that I loved you, and I ended up stealing your phone because I wanted to know if you put that in your calendar from the moment I said those words."

"I did," Harry blushed, chewing on his bottom lip. "That night after the dance, I put it in my phone, and I made sure to put a yearly reminder for it."

"See, you do shit like that and it's so fucking cute," Louis then breathed out, nearly in awe at his own boyfriend standing in front of him. "Harry, I love you so damn much that I don't even know what to do with myself. Sure, it took me forever to finally realize you were the one for me, but you still gave me the chance. If it wasn't for you, then I would probably still be that same boy who was afraid to express himself, but the minute you walked into my life, I was more afraid of losing you over anything. You stuck by my side when most people would have bailed, and you had given me the best four years of my life because of it. I love you, Harry Styles, and there is nothing in this world that would ever make me stop loving you. I want to give you everything you deserve and more, but most of all, I want to give you this."

Harry's eyes widen when he noticed Louis was reaching into the pocket of his coat to pull something out. He had a little bit of hope flutter in his chest that Louis was about to do the thing that he had been waiting so long for, and his theory was right when a black, velvet box was being picked by Louis' hand.

Harry let out another gasp as an influx of tears surfaced his eyes. The crying was non stop as Louis showcased the box towards Harry's direction, already nodding his head yes before Louis even asked. But, Louis was still going, laughing softly at Harry's reaction before making the big jump he needed.

"Four years ago today, I yelled out to this entire lobby that I was in love you," Louis reminded quietly, mainly just for Harry to hear, seeing him let out a watery laugh before he was using his shirt to wipe his face. "And so now, I'm about to yell out to this entire lobby that I want to marry you."

Louis stood straight up and surveyed the area they were in to see who all was watching. He knew a bunch more people had gathered around once he was standing on the coffee table, so he knew he had to be big and dramatic with what he was about to do. The spotlight was on him and Harry, and everything around them was just as he visioned.

The band was still playing _From This Moment On_ , his friend was still tossing flower petals over the railing of the second floor, and Harry was standing right there on the ground waiting anxiously for his next move. It was perfect.

Louis stood straight up again and held the box in the air, a smirk on his face as he yelled, "Everyone, I fucking love Harry Styles, and I want to fucking marry him."

Harry let out a laugh as Louis continued to yell out the same thing over and over again, hearing everyone around them begin to clap for the both of them. He was already nodding his head and walking towards Louis', still crying as he fondly watched his boyfriend be over the top.

"Did everyone hear me?" Louis recited, remembering he said those exact same words in the past. "I want to marry Harry Styles. This beautiful man in front of me. He's the love of my life, and I want to marry him."

Louis finally looked down at Harry and saw the big grin spreading across his face. He was much closer than before, crying and laughing at the same time. It really was endearing, and Harry had never looked more beautiful than he did now, getting that _I just got proposed to_ look on his face that made him glow in a special way.

Louis features softened as he looked at Harry, carefully dropping down on one knee on top of the coffee table and finally holding the box right in Harry's face. Harry bit his lip and patiently waited for Louis to open the box, ready to see what ring Louis had gotten for him.

When the ring was exposed, Harry started crying even more, not even trying to hold back his emotion as he began nodding his head yet again. It was the promise ring Louis had given Harry for his eighteenth birthday, but it was redone to look like an engagement ring. Each infinity loop was round cut diamonds that formed in a semi-eternity fashion, and the old promise ring that had a diamond at every infinity loop crossing was then used to make the diamond cut sitting on top of the band.

It was beautiful, Harry thought, still covering his mouth in shock. Feeling completely speechless just like he was four ago.

"Harry, will you marry me?" Louis finally asked him personally, smiling gently when Harry looked up at him with those wet, green eyes.

"Y-yes," Harry cried out, nodding his head again with another watery laugh making its way out. "Yes, Yes, Yes. Of course, yes."

Louis' smile grew wider as he finally picked the ring out of the box to place it on Harry's ring finger. He stepped off the coffee table and walked straight into Harry's space to wrap his arms around his waist, gently picking him up and spinning them around happily. The claps around were still going as Louis set Harry back on his feet, cupping the sides of his face and just taking the moment to stare into his eyes.

"Is that why you stopped answering me?" Harry smiled, licking his lips while his chest leaned up against Louis'.

"Pretty much," Louis nodded his head, "I've planned this for a year."

"A year?" Harry asked breathlessly.

"Made the ring a couple months after we moved in together," Louis then added cheekily.

"You really wanted to marry me that soon in our relationship," Harry stated more than he questioned, sounding completely in awe that Louis had been that serious from the beginning.

"I had always been serious about us," Louis reminded with a smile, leaning his head closer until his lips were barely inches away from Harry's. "I love you, Harry. I want you forever."

Harry didn't get a chance to reply because Louis' lips were pressing against his in a matter of seconds. It was the long awaited kiss that Harry had been craving since he first walked into the lobby, and now he finally got it, being the first kiss he had with his fiancée. It felt different, better even. It felt like all the struggles they had endured were finally being washed away in this moment, and everything between them was now a fairy tale.

This was their moment now. Everything in the past that had tried to pull them away from each other meant nothing because here they were standing tall together. Hand in hand, ready to take on the rest of their lives together. Nothing else mattered but the two of them just simply being together.

"You ready?" Louis then asked once they pulled back from the kiss, caressing Harry's face gently. "The lads are waiting for us at a bar."

"A bar?" Harry laughed, shaking his head. "You think I want to go to a bar right now?" He asked, sounding as if that was a crazy idea.

"Well, I figured we could celebrate. There's an engagement party there," Louis explained, sounding a little lost from the affronted look on Harry's face.

"We can go after," Harry concluded, reaching for Louis' hand and dragging him out the hotel.

"After what?" Louis frowned, idly following Harry as he was being led towards the car.

"After we fuck, _hello_?" Harry then called out, stopping in the middle of the garage and turning to look at Louis as if he was crazy. "You can't just expect me to be around people and act normal after you just _proposed_ to me," Harry then explained, eyes wide as he stepped a little closer to Louis. "I need you, like, now. That's my celebration right there - getting my fiancés dick in me somehow, someway."

"If I would've know that getting proposed to would make you this horny, _fuck_ , I would've done it everyday."

Harry looked at Louis for a couple of seconds before he rolled his eyes and turned around. He grabbed Louis' hand again and began storming over to the vehicle to finish what he had intended on starting. He tossed the keys over at Louis, thankfully glad they drove the bigger truck, while he went around to the side of the car to lower the second row of seats.

Louis turned the ignition on and figured he should put the air on full blast, so he did that and angled the vents towards the back. Once he was finished with his given task, he closed the driver's door with a smile, and he walked over to see where Harry was already climbing into the back of the car. Louis stopped at the door and looked at Harry lying on his back, feeling the slight urge to laugh at how desperate Harry was in the moment, but he ended up biting it back when Harry started to take his shirt off.

"You going to join?" Harry teased, pulling his shirt over his head and laying it under his back so that the fabric of the back of the seats didn't rub against his skin. It was oddly adorable and sexy at the same time, but it had Louis climbing into the back seat as well.

"You're ridiculous, Harry Styles," Louis concluded with after he closed the car door behind him.

He crawled around until he was maneuvering his way in between Harry's legs, hovering his body over Harry's and placing his hands on either side of Harry's face. At this position, Louis was able to look down at Harry completely and trace his eyes over every inch of Harry that he wanted, and the first place he started with was where that engagement ring sat proudly on Harry's left finger.

Harry made the first move and gripped the collar of Louis' shirt, yanking his body down until their chests were pressed together. It took seconds before Harry was pressing their lips together for a much heated kiss, already whining for more and preventing Louis from pulling away with the firm grip his thighs had around Louis' waist.

It didn't take long before their pants were being pulled down their hips and their naked bodies to begin rubbing up against one another. Thankfully, they had shamelessly kept a bottle lube and lose packets of condoms in the glove compartment of their car incase they ever needed it for specific reasons. So, because they had everything they needed, it was quick work before Louis' slick fingers were pressing into the tight heat of Harry's hole.

They knew they had somewhere to be, so it really wasn't the time for them to be slow and enjoy themselves, which was kind of unfortunate because Louis wanted to take his time, but, they had to be relatively fast. People were expecting them at the bar around a certain time, and Louis didn't really want them to wait too long while he and Harry fucked. Louis had a plan, and he wanted to stick to it, but having sex with Harry was also something he didn't mind adding in at the last minute.

Harry kept his arms fully wrapped around Louis' neck as he kept trying to bring him closer and closer to his body. Louis' fingers were actively pumping in and out of his ass whilst also stretching him around, and every time Louis just barely nudged up against Harry's spot, the one that he was desperately wanting Louis to hit, he could feel his body tensing and jerking closer to Louis.

It was to the point where Louis was three fingers knuckle deep inside of Harry when Harry finally pulled his face back. "I'm ready," he whispered breathlessly, opening his eyes and blinking up at Louis, giving him a slow nod when Louis looked at him for confirmation.

Louis let out a small breath through his nose before he let one hand run gently down the sides of Harry's torso. His skin was prickly with sweat, and their bodies were more cramp than he had intended to be since they were in the back of the car, but Louis had never been more happy than he was in that moment. He could feel his lips curving up in to a small smile simply from looking down at Harry, knowing very well that the cool press of metal at the back of his neck was the ring that was on Harry's finger, and he got giddy every time he was reminded that Harry had said yes to him.

It was like Harry could read Louis' mind because he removed his left hand from the back of Louis' head. Instead, he wedged his hand underneath the one Louis had planted next to his head and let their fingers tangle together. Louis then pinned their hands back on the ground next to Harry's head and leaned forward to press his lips against Harry's.

His cock was already covered in a condom and coated in lube, so when he trailed his hand in between their bodies to grab himself, he was able to lead the head of his cock straight to the opening of Harry's ass. When just the tip was already breaching his hole, Harry's breath hitched in surprise while his body was already grinding down for more.

Louis pushed in slowly, really taking the time to feel the way is cock spread Harry opened, loving how he could feel the drag of him going deeper and deeper until his hips were pressing up against Harry's ass. The pressure was overbearing and had Harry pulling away with a gasp, arching his back off the seat while subconsciously wrapping his legs around Louis.

Harry's hand that was holding Louis' had squeezed tighter when Louis began to roll his hips around, eliciting a desperate moan from his mouth that Louis immediately bent down to kiss away. When Harry's lips were then occupied with his hand gripping on to Louis', Louis began to slowly pull his hips back just enough before he was rocking them back against Harry's ass.

"Fuck!" Harry had moaned, letting out a shaky breath when Louis did again, that time with more force. "Fuck, I forgot what this felt like," He had cried out, gripping his one free hand harshly on to Louis' bicep, digging his fingers deeper into his muscle when Louis continued the same movement again.

Harry's words were then drowned out with another press of Louis' lips to his, and that was when he let his body go completely at Louis' mercy. He felt himself relax into the floor board of the car with his body loosening up. It allowed for Louis' pace to quicken up without having much restriction of Harry clenching tight on him. The glide of Louis' cock was smooth as it began to pump in and out of Harry, creating that slick sound that filled the car with their bodies being connected.

The cramp space ended up making them cling closer together. There wasn't an inch of space between their bodies, causing every single part of them to be wrapped around each other. The car was also starting to heat up as well, and the air vents couldn't outweigh the heat radiating off their bodies so the windows began to fog up a little.

It was the thought that anyone could end up walking by their car that pushed them over the edge. It was the thrill of being caught and the high of being freshly engaged that had them coming nearly untouched. The final push of Louis snapping his hips had the car shaking on its wheels, and it was in that moment when Harry wanted to be cheeky and place his sweaty hand on the window, letting it slowly fall down the misty window as he came all over his belly.

When his hand fell back down to his side, he let out a heavy breath while Louis pulled out of him slowly. Louis turned his head to see what it was that Harry had grabbed on to, and when he saw the hand streaks going down the window, he snorted. "You're cheesy," Louis teased, looking back down at Harry and brushing some curls off his forehead.

"Everyone has to experience their first titanic," Harry breathed out, offering his dimply smile. "I happened to just have mine."

"You watch way too many rom-coms, dear" Louis concluded with, already rolling off of Harry so he could start putting his clothes back on. It was nearly more difficult now to re-dress since he was all sweaty and cramped, but he knew that he couldn't show up to the bar with no pants on. He had to look somewhat presentable.

Harry simply grumbled in response before he was sitting up as best as he could. He had to hunch over a little because his head was hitting right at the ceiling of the car, but he knew he needed to get dressed as well since Louis had more things planned. So with great struggle in the cramped up space, the two of them put their clothes back on and tried their best to look decent before they got out to sit in the front seat of the car.

Louis ended up taking them to the same bar they went to just a month prior. It was the same bar where Louis had told the lads that he had was going to propose to Harry. So it was nice when he walked inside and saw that the table he told them at was right there in the middle with the lads waiting around it.

But it wasn't just the lads that were there, it was all of their family and friends that had been invited as well. So it was an even bigger surprise when Harry and Louis walked in hand in hand to see their mothers front and center with giant smiles on their faces. Louis had only intended their friends to be their for the celebration, which meant that Niall, Liam, and Zayn had planned this part all on their own.

It was one of the best endings to the night where they got to be surrounded by all the people who loved and supported them. It was also a great time for Harry to show off his amazing engagement ring that he was so proud and in love with while Louis sat off to the side with a bright smile watching him. It was a moment that Louis wanted to savor and remember forever - he wanted to remember exactly how happy Harry was in this point in time and make sure that he was always this happy moving on.

After everything they had been through, all the drama and all the struggles, nothing could ever take away the feeling of when Louis had proposed to Harry because in the end, it just meant that they won, and they won together.

 

**The Fucking End.**


End file.
